Love Hina: Family
by BetweenheavenandHell
Summary: Two months after the events of Blademasters, Motoko and Koichi thought they had it easy, but they have yet to face their greatest challenge, Koichi's family
1. Prologue: Another Day of Wine and Roses

**Disclaimer:** I own zip, so don't bother suing 

Backstory: Takes place two months after the events of Blademasters (before the final chapter), Koichi and Motoko thought they had it easy, but they have yet to face Koichi's family

**Love Hina: Family**

* * *

Prologue: Another Day of Wine and Roses

"Get back here you lecherous pervert!"

Keitaro cringed involuntarily where he sat at the breakfast table. Even though that comment had not been directed at him it still set off old reflexes urging him to flee as if the very gates of hell were opening up behind him.

Catching his flinch, Naru sniggered quietly behind her hand, finding the whole thing quite amusing; fighting back peels of laughter when Keitaro finally noticed what she was doing and dropped his head to hide his embarrassment.

"Make me!", came the typically mature reply of the Hinata Sou's latest resident, Koichi Sagura, his shadow passing quickly by the door, followed rapidly by that of his girlfriend and technically speaking, fiancé, Motoko Aoyama.

"They sure sound like their having fun", Kitsune commented from where she lounged in her seat, only the smallest hint of annoyance audible in her voice after two months of adjusting to the new couple.

"Motoko always has fun with Koi-kun", Su piped up from where she was shovelling her third breakfast into her mouth, some how lacing that cheerful comment with enough innuendo that everyone felt momentarily awkward.

"Yeah, well as long as they don't tear up the place", Naru said, shuddering at the thought of the devastation two Special Arts Blademasters could inflict in collateral damage by way of a lover's spat.

"I wonder why Motoko-sempai is so upset", Shinobu wondered out loud, poking at her food nervously, "They don't usually fight like this…"

Everyone but Naru and Keitaro caught the brief glance she threw their way as she said that, but no one commented on it.

There was a _splash_ and a loud crash from the direction of the hot spring.

Sighing world wearily, Kitsune stood and ambled off in the direction of the disturbance, muttering under her breath the whole time.

* * *

"Ha! Nowhere left to run!", Kitsune heard Motoko's triumphant cry as she neared the outdoor baths. 

"Or perhaps I was merely luring you out exactly where I wanted you", came back Koichi's slightly flirtatious reply. The fox girl chuckled; she could almost see Motoko frowning as she worked that one over in her mind.

"W-what do you mean?", Motoko's voice now carried a note of uncertainty.

Kitsune sidled up to the door and slid it quietly aside, poking her head around the gap to catch the show.

Koichi was now advancing toward Motoko slowly through the water, holding her gaze, her katana seemingly forgotten at her side.

"You know what they say Motoko, in the bathes, no one can hear you scream"

Kitsune chuckled at the corniness of that line, and the effect it seemed to have on the younger woman. She gapped like a fish as he got slowly closer, a huge and slightly menacing grin on his face.

"You wouldn't dare", she choked out, but Kitsune could see the smile making a break for her face.

"Hey", she spoke up, emerging from her hiding spot, unable to stomach another round of amateur flirting, shocking them both as she walked over onto the deck and crossed her arms, effecting a vaguely disinterested air, "What's going on? If you two are gonna fool around in here you could at least do it more quietly…or have at least invited me"

Their responses were different and the same. Both blushed, but where as Motoko looked away awkwardly, Koichi grinned lopsidedly and rested his hands in the pockets of his black jeans.

"So someone going to tell me what was with the game of tag you two have been playing all morning", Kitsune frowned at the sound over own voice, she sounded like some nagging old aunt.

Motoko seemed to come back from her embarrassment at this question, casting a baleful glare at an all too innocent looking Koichi.

"I-we, and then he", she ground out, seeming unable to vocalise the source of her anger.

"I touched her butt accidentally", he shrugged, resting his hands behind his head and shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"And?", Kitsune prompted, waiting for the rest of the explanation.

"What do you mean, 'And'?" Motoko answered indignantly, "I was just saying good morning-"

"You mean playing tonsil hockey", the older woman put in helpfully, ignoring the glare it earned her.

"-and he just…grabbed me", she finished blushing again.

Kitsune raised an eyebrow at Koichi and mouthed "_Way to go stud_" at him, bringing out a blush to rival Motoko's on his face.

"I was half asleep", he said scratching at the back of his head, "I wasn't in full control of my actions, I'm sorry already".

Motoko sighed, muttering under her breath for effect, though Kitsune had the vague impression she wasn't as put out as she was trying to make them believe.

She could also see a faint smirk at the corners of Koichi's mouth, and a twinkle in his sea grey eyes that meant he was about to do something incredibly stupid.

"In my defence though", he drawled lazily, taking a half step backward at the same time as Kitsune, "You do have a great hiny Motoko-chan".

When she turned to face him, Koichi panicked for a second, wondering how Tsuruko had managed to change places with her younger sister without him noticing.

_Yep, I'd say you're pretty screwed_, his brain put in observantly, having long since given up on trying to stop these monumental acts of idiocy.

_Oh, really, you think_, he fired back sarcastically as he watched Motoko's blade come up at her side and sensed the building Ki swirling around the _Hina_.

"It was worth it", he said smiling winningly as her eyes narrowed, the sword reaching its zenith, waiting to sweep down and complete the strike.

_Baka_

"Baka! _Rock Splitting Sword!_"

Kitsune shuck her head as the young man she had once thought she was in love with was propelled through the fence ringing the hot springs, riding a wave of summoned spiritual energy.

She sighed as she watched Motoko dither for a moment before following after him, anger and concern flickering alternatively across her porcelain features.

Another happy couple the fox girl mused dejectedly, and another beautiful day at the Hinata Sou.

_Just another day of wine and roses_, she thought sadly, leaving Motoko to tend the semi-conscious Koichi and heading in search of something to lighten her suddenly sour mood.

* * *

With a delicate grunt, if that term can be applied, the young girl heaved the suitcase she carried up over the last step of the Hinata Sou, stopping to wipe her brow on the white handkerchief she kept in the pocket of her pale blue summer dress. She readjusted the wide brimmed hat that kept the sun out of her face and looked up at the building in front of her. 

It was beautiful she thought, looking over the massive structure with wide sea grey eyes as the wind tussled her short black hair, cherry blossoms almost obscuring the building from sight momentarily, like something out of a fairytale. _The towering castle of the prince and his princess_, she thought, allowing the childish thought to cross her mind though it would never cross her lips.

She turned slowly, drinking everything in before turning back and walking toward the door, suitcase in tow.

_I hope you're well, Oni-chan_.

* * *

----Author Notes---- 

Another day, another story, welcome back to the Blademasters universe, I hope you'll find this stay as fun as the last. R and R people


	2. Chapter 1: Imouto

Chapter 1: Imouto

"Are you sure you're alright?", Motoko asked for what must have been the thousandth time in Koichi's opinion.

_First she puts me through a wall, and _now_ she's all tender and concerned_, he thought with wiry humour. Women, go figure.

He sat up, ignoring the indignant throbbing from his battered skull as it protested the sudden movement.

"Yes mother", he answered back, grinning when he heard her teeth grind together. It was fun to get her riled up every now and again, the angrier she got at him the better it was to try and make it up to her.

"I don't think I hit you hard enough", she muttered her ministrations to his bruised cranium becoming noticeably rougher.

"Hey, ow! Watch the merchandise already".

She rolled her eyes at him, if he was whining he was fine, it was only if he ever went quiet on her she knew something was seriously wrong. Besides, he'd faced her sister and lived, so she doubted a relatively weak strike like that would phase him to much, he was just on a pity trip.

"Grow up", she said, ruining the sternness of that comment with the smile she could feel tugging at her lips.

"Don't wanna", he said, even going as far as to cross his arms sulkily across his chest like a petulant child, but his lopsided grin never wavered.

"Child"

"Meanie"

She raised an amused eyebrow, this was an impressive new level of immaturity, the only way he could sink lower was if he...

"Phhhffft"

…stuck his tongue out at her…

"You're just trying to annoy me this morning aren't you?", she asked, although the question was unnecessary and his cheery expression was somehow both irritating and endearing at the same time.

"Yup", he said, even going as far as to flash her the victory sign.

"Do I even need to ask why?"

He reached up and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down onto his lap. Motoko blushed slightly at the intimate act and tried to appear nonchalant. No mean feat with water lapping at your ankles and a mysteriously smiling boy friend nuzzling against your neck.

"Because", he whispered in her ear, sending pleasant shivers up and down her spine, "there's only one known way to calm an angry Motoko".

"And what would that be?", she asked, knowing from experience the likely answer.

By way of responding he captured her lips in a brief but powerful kiss, "That usually seems to work just fine".

"Was that why you…did what you did this morning?", she asked, noticing how he flinched slightly.

"No, like I said, I was half asleep and that was one hell of a wake up call Motoko"

The raven-haired girl coughed into her hand and looked away to hide her blush. Indeed she had been ceased by a rare boldness that morning, choosing to rouse Koichi with a kiss rather than the more traditional method of an alarm clock or foot.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything", he had to add, receiving a light cuff for his troubles that he shrugged off.

"In future keep your hands to yourself", she said, not missing the downcast look he tried to hide, or the small sense of elation that his longing for her stirred, "For now at least".

Motoko's eyes bulged for a second as her mind replayed the last part of that sentence for her, the part that had slipped out unintentionally. She turned a glare on him, daring him to have even the faintest trace of a self-satisfied smirk, but his features were a picture of innocence.

She suppressed the urge to beat him to within an inch of his life and poignantly looked away from him, knowing without turning back that his trademark smile was back in place.

"We should get out of here", she said, making to stand only to find herself pinned down.

"I like it just fine right here", he replied.

"We're going to freeze, we're both soaked", she pointed out, turning back to him.

"On a nice day like this?", came the rhetorical question as he began moving his face closer to hers.

"What about breakfast?", she asked, her voice getting quieter as he got closer.

"It'll already be gone"

"I…"

Another kiss, longer and deeper than the last, as Motoko felt his tongue gently probing her lips, seeking admittance.

She hesitated for a second before accenting to his unspoken request, wondering of the experience of her first 'French' kiss.

Of course, at Hinata Sou, privacy is theory, interruption practice.

"Oooooo frenchin out in public, naughty, naughty", cooed a cheerful voice from over on the decking at the other side of the hot spring.

Motoko heard Koichi curse whatever gods might be listening as she tried to hide the nova like blush from her foreign friend and ignore her face splitting grin.

"Su, impeccable timing as always I see", Koichi called over to the young girl, a clearly fake smile plastered across his face to stop himself killing her with a look.

"I'd ask you to get up but it looks like your hands are already full", she said, her smile somehow getting wider.

Motoko wondered what the hell her young friend was talking about, when she realised she could feel something against her posterior, something warm, with five digits.

Once more she pulled off a passable impersonation of the elder Aoyama sister as she turned to face her nervous looking boyfriend, come fiancé, come lecher.

"Now Motoko-chan", he said sweating though not from the heat, "You wouldn't hit a man with a possible concussion, that may be effecting his judgement and making him act in ways he wouldn't normally... would you?".

As it turned out, she would.

_

* * *

Bare minutes earlier.__Knock Knock_

"I'll get it", called Shinobu when there were no sounds heard from the stairs or living room. The blue haired girl wiped her soapy hands dry and padded lightly over to the front door, sliding it open and peeping around the edge, "Hello?".

She was startled as a pair of sea grey eyes on level with her own suddenly appeared by the gap she had opened.

Her first thought was that Koichi-sempai had been locked out by Motoko, but Kitsune had said they were fine when she came back.

Her second thought was that she didn't remember his eyes being that big, or him being so short.

"Erm, excuse me", asked a distinctly female voice, "May I come in?"

"Oh! I'm sorry", Shinobu said, pulling the door the rest of the way open. The person outside was definitely not Koichi-sempai, but the resemblance was uncanny.

She had short, black hair, not to dissimilar to Shinobu's own in length, that somehow seemed reminiscent of Koichi's though this hair was carefully combed rather than appearing only semi-tamed as Koichi's always did. Her face was more feminine by far, but there were some likenesses, but the most striking resemblance was the eyes, the colour of the sea on a cold day, the same as Koichi-sempai's.

The girl looked about Shinobu's age or maybe slightly younger though she seemed to extrude an aura of grace and maturity even in her cute blue dress and oversized hat.

"What can I do for you?", Shinobu asked, feeling somewhat intimidated by the other girl, but then this wasn't a new feeling.

The other girl smiled sympathetically, as if aware of the effect she was having and embarrassed by it.

"I'm here to see my brother", she stated, her voice smooth, almost inflectionless and slightly…regal.

Shinobu had the odd impulse to bow, or curtsy, but they were overridden by her curiosity.

"Your brother?", she asked, wondering who this strange girl could be referring to.

"I'm sorry", the other girl said, tipping her head in a small bow and smiling apologetically, "I seem to have forgotten my manners, father would be most disappointed about that".

Shinobu could only blink in confusion and she glanced down at the girl's suitcase, half surprised to see it there. With her formal speech and bearing she would have expected to find someone carrying it for her.

It took a few seconds for the significance of the suitcase to reach her. Did this girl intend to stay here? Did she think her brother a resident here?

As she opened her mouth to correct the girl she spoke again.

"My name is Kyoko Sagura, it is a pleasure to meet you", she said with another small bow and a smile.

"Shinobu Maehara", the blue haired girl responded automatically as she digested what she had just been told, "Does this mean that you're related to Koichi-sempai?"

Something flickered across Kyoko's face, as if she were unhappy with what Shinobu had said, but it was gone so quickly she thought she might have imagined it.

"I am Koichi-sama's younger sister", she said, putting a subtle emphasis on the honorific even while maintaining her polite smile.

"…I see", was all the other girl could come up with in response, shuffling a little uncomfortably.

"May I…", the dark haired girl prompted gently, causing Shinobu to fluster slightly as she realised she had left the other girl standing on the doorstep instead of inviting her in.

"Of course, I'm sorry, come in".

Kyoko gave her thanks as Shinobu stepped aside, lugging her heavy case along with her.

Shinobu directed her to the lounge and asked Kyoko to wait there for a moment while she attempted to track down her brother for her.

When she had left, Kyoko looked around the room, taking in the simple elegance of the building and smiling faintly.

As her eyes roamed freely around the room, she noticed that a plant pot near the television seemed to be shaking.

Curious 

She stood and walked the short distance to the vibrating shrubbery, peering at it carefully.

She bit back a small yelp when it popped up, now resting on the head of a tanned young gaijin with stunningly bright blond hair and vibrant green eyes, those head appeared to be sticking out of some sort of hole concealed beneath the plant.

"Another discovery", the girl yelled excitedly, scribbling something down on an incredibly complex looking map.

Kyoko raised an inquisitive eyebrow, this girl appeared to be the same age as herself and the other girl, Shinobu, or perhaps slightly older, but she spoke like someone far younger.

"Hi!", she said, clambering out of the hole, interrupting Kyoko's musings and dusting of the sailor fuku that was far to small her growing frame. She held out a hand and looked a little disappointed when Kyoko only starred at it uncertainly.

"Who are ya anyway?", she asked and much to Kyoko's distress began to _sniff_ her, "Got any food? Wanna play? How come you smell like Koi-kun?".

Kyoko blinked under this barrage of strange questions, frowning a little at the last.

"I am Koichi-sama's younger sister, Kyoko", she answered, keeping her voice smooth and even as she had been taught, "…and no, I don't have anything edible on my person".

"You're Koi-kun's little sis huh?", the tanned girl said, seemingly oblivious to Kyoko's stare of disapproval at the familiar name, "Cool, I hope you're as much fun as he is, I'm Kaolla Su by the way".

"I see, it is nice to meet you Su-san…Do you know where my brother may be found?"

Su rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a moment before exclaiming cheerfully, "No idea actually, but I bet he's somewhere around here playing suck-face with Motoko".

Kyoko coughed discretely into her hand at the foreigner's rather graphic; to her mind at least, statement.

Su fumbled around in her pocket for a second before pulling out a small, circular handheld device and depressing one of the switches on top of it.

She starred intently at the screen on it's front for a few minutes before grinning and taking off without a word, leaving a rather perplexed Kyoko to her own devices once more.

"That was… interesting", the dark haired girl said, taking a seat on the nearest of the two couches, hands folded demurely in her lap as she resumed her observations.

Her peace was broken by moments later.

"_Dragon Fist!_"

"Kyaaaahh!"

She was on her feet before she realised it, racing as quickly as dignity would allow toward the source of that cry. She recognised that voice.

_Oni-chan!_

She paused, confused for a second outside the door the noise had come from, the sign above the doorway clearly said '_Women's Bath_', so why had she heard… oh no.

Fearing what she might find, Kyoko slide the door aside and stepped though.

She only gave the breathtaking sight of the hot spring a cursory glance, mentally filing it's location away for a more thorough investigation later, her eyes were on the sight before her.

The blond girl she had spoken too earlier stood cheering another woman, older, angry looking with silky black hair and partially soaked robes, who stood a little way away from were her brother lay, rubbing his jaw and beaming up at her with his usual crooked smile.

It didn't take a genius to pull a vague impression of what had happened, and she had no doubt Koichi had prompted the older woman to do whatever she had done.

"Oh Oni-chan", she sighed, her voice a contradictory mix of fondness and disappointment.

He looked up at her, his eyes widening in shock, as if wondering if he were hallucinating.

"Kyoko?"

* * *

They were all seated around the coffee table in the lounge, Motoko and Koichi having changed clothes first.

Kyoko sipped the tea Shinobu had made her and smiled her gratitude to prevent herself frowning at the 'Ninja' T-shirt her brother wore where he sat with an arm resting casually around the older raven-haired girl's shoulders.

Father would not have been pleased were he here at that moment Kyoko knew, not just because of the fact that Koichi was wearing _that_ t-shirt, but because of how he and his bride to be looked. So…casual, like nothing but a pair of regular teenagers.

"So", the girl that had been introduced as Mitsune Konno or 'Kitsune' said, breaking the strange silence at last, "You're Koichi's little sister".

"That's correct Konno-san", she said, wondering why the older woman frowned and shuck her head slightly, the sandy brown ponytail at the back of her head lashing softly in time with the movement.

"You don't have to be so formal imouto", Koichi spoke up, his voice sounding amused as always, "these people are all my friends".

"Just because one of us lacks manners Oni-san, is no excuse for their dismissal", she replied taking another sip of her tea and casting a purposeful glance at her brother.

"Whatever brat", he growled around his grin.

"Miscreant", she replied with a small smile of her own, returning serve.

"Suck up"

"Vagabond"

"Child"

The others watched with interest as that last volley seemed to strike a nerve with the younger Sagura causing her to brow to crinkle slightly and her eyes to narrow. _The most emotion she's shown yet_, Kitsune couldn't help but think.

Kyoko placed her tea carefully on the table a not entirely pleasant smile set into her otherwise impassive features.

"If I am a child…then was does that make you in comparison? A mere wailing infant?".

Kitsune was sure she heard Koichi grind his teeth for a second.

"You realise of course brat", he said slowly a familiar twinkle in his eye, "that this means war".

"I wouldn't have it any other way dear brother", she said with a small, but seemingly genuine fond smile.

"Whatever", he said, yawning as if bored, "Why are you here anyway?"

"I came to visit you", she said sounding a little hurt. Koichi's reply was cut off by the accidental elbow to the gut he received courtesy of Motoko.

"All by yourself?", another voice asked and Kyoko directed her attention away from her foolish brother and over to the beautiful woman with long brown hair with two 'antennae' like strands that stuck out atop her head, sitting besides a reasonably handsome man with short brown hair and stylish glasses, her husband perhaps? Judging by their proximity.

"I am sixteen years of age, I am quite capable of travelling without supervision"

"Sixteen?", Shinobu said out loud, "You're the same age as me then"

"Yeah, she only _looks_ twelve", Koichi said, jerking a thumb toward his sister's chest and receiving another, more painful blow from his fiancé.

"At least my mental age is in the realm of double digits", she fired back, crossing her arms over her chest unconsciously.

Koichi became uncomfortably aware of the fact that every set of female eyes in the room was now turned disapprovingly on him, especially Shinobu's who had only recently experiences a kick start in her own development.

He looked to the only other male in the room, who was making a point of not meeting his gaze.

"Touché" he settled for in the end, determined to try and keep both his life and his dignity if possible.

"Would it be possible for me to stay here for a while? I have a lot to catch up on with my brother", Kyoko said, directing the question to Keitaro.

"I don't see any problem", he replied slowly, looking around to check for any disapproving faces but finding no objections, unless you could consider poorly disguised sulking on the part of Koichi an objection, "We have plenty of rooms to spare. Shinobu? Would you mind helping get Kyoko settled in?".

"No, I don't mind sempai", she said giving him a shy smile she couldn't quite help.

From where she sat Kyoko noted this with interest and resumed sipping her tea.

"We seem to be a magnet for new residents lately", Naru joked as the group began to drift off back to their various activities, giving the new guest a chance to settle in.

* * *

"Um, I think this one has been cleaned recently", Shinobu said, sliding open a door a little down the hall from her own and peering inside.

Indeed the room was dust free, if bare, offering a view out over the courtyard.

"I'll bring you a futon in a minute", the blue haired girl said, trotting over to the window and throwing it open, letting in the warm breeze.

"Thank you", Kyoko said with another of her fractional smiles, depositing her case in one corner and leaving it. Apparently she had the same distaste for unpacking as her brother, or perhaps she just wanted to do it in private.

"I, erm", Shinobu faltered when neither said anything for a moment and Kyoko walked over to the windowsill, smiling silently at the cherry blossoms drifting lazily by.

The blue haired girl was once again stuck by the regal manner in which the other girl held herself and wondered if it was something that could be taught. Perhaps sempai would pay her more attention if she could add such grace to her finally developing figure.

"Dinner will be served around six, someone will call you when it's time", she said, finishing off her duties as a host while looking for something else to say.

"Thank you", Kyoko acknowledged politely, leaving little else for Shinobu to do but mutter a goodbye and leave.

Kyoko chuckled lightly to herself after the other girl left, she was not used to people acting so nervous around her.

She moved over to her case and deftly opened its various catches and locks, and began to remove the carefully packed and folded robes within, tidying them neatly away in the room's modest closet.

"Ooo pretty", she looked up startled, she hadn't heard anyone enter the room after Shinobu left.

Su was fingering the silk of one of her more expensive kimonos, eyes wide as she felt the silken material move effortlessly between her fingers.

Kyoko coughed into her hand to get the tanned girls attention, "Su-san, what are you doing in here, is there something I can help you with?"

"No, I'm good, just saying 'Hello'", she replied, dropping the robe and bounding over to where Kyoko stood, "Hi, welcome to the Hinata house, wanna go play?".

"Play?", echoed Kyoko, wondering again just how old this girl was.

"Yeah, you're Koi-kun's sis, so you should be good at lots of games", the other girl reasoned.

Again such informal references to my brother, has he even told them? 

"I'm still a little tired Su-san, maybe another time"

"Okays", the blond girl didn't seem to disappointed, in fact she was humming merrily to herself as she left.

Outside Kyoko heard a muffled "_Omph!_", that she recognised as her brother's and the apologetic giggling of the girl who had just left.

"Sorry Koi-kun"

"Don't worry about it kiddo, not like I don't get the breath knocked out of me on a regular basis anyway right", his reply echoed back, and Kyoko could almost hear the way the words bent around his goofy smile.

"Hehe, yup, but usually you're out of breath because you and Motoko-"

"I think that's enough banter for today," he cut in smoothly, "is the brat in her room?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes, cataloguing that insult away for later.

"Yeah, she said she's tired though"

"Whatever, later Su"

The door slide aside and Koichi slipped in soundlessly, closing the door and leaning back up against the door frame, the closest he ever really came to a serious look on his face.

"Imouto"

"Oni-san"

They were both quiet for a moment before she stood and ran swiftly over to him, rapping her arms around his taller frame in a tight hug.

He hugged her back one handed and used the other to ruffle her hair in the way she would only ever let him do in private.

"I missed you Oni-chan"

"I know you did squirt", he said releasing her and putting her at arms length, his eyes looking colder than they ever should for a moment, "How's the old man?".

"Father is well", she replied simply, knowing he wasn't really interested in anything more detailed.

"Too bad", he grumbled, probably thinking he had been quiet enough for her not to hear him, but she kept her peace. Father was a strict man, and Koichi despised rules of any kind, it was understandable that they…clashed, from time to time.

"So what brings you out here?", he asked, the blunt question taking her by surprise.

"I wanted to see you again", she answered truthfully.

Koichi studied her face for a moment before shrugging and leaning back against the doorframe.

"Whatever you want to say brat"

Kyoko smiled her slight smile at him, not adding anything else.

"I better go, I was just checking on you", he said turning his back and sliding the door open.

He paused for a second before speaking again without turning to face her.

"It's good to see you again to imouto…don't make me regret saying that".

Kyoko felt her smile falter as he gently slid the door closed and left.

_Oni-chan_…

* * *

----Author Notes----

Koichi outclassed in a battle of wits! Kyoko, lots of fun to write, even if she does come off as a little aloof at times, all will be revealed later. Oh and no, Kyoko will be displaying no Kanako-esk tendencies here. The first glimpse of Koichi's family is unveiled, what did he mean by that cryptic last phrase? What is going on here and what does the future hold? Keep reading next time to find out.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	3. Chapter 2: Curiosity

Chapter two: Curiosity

Kyoko Sagura woke slowly, her sea grey eyes flickering open daintily as they accustomed to the soft light filtering in through the drawn blinds of her room.

It was a few minutes before she was sufficiently awake to judge what it was about the room she found herself in that was amiss.

_This…is not my room_

Gradually the mental fog began to lift and the events of the previous day returned as she rolled over, looking around the unadorned room she now occupied at the Hinata Sou.

She rose from her bed gracefully, removing the thin ribbon that had held her hair in check while she slept and padded lightly over to her wardrobe, retrieving and donning one of the garments she had brought with her, a pale pink kimono with a dark blue obi.

Kyoko tilted her head to the side, listening for any signs of movement, and finding none.

She glanced over at the clock Shinobu had provided for her along with the futon.

07: 31am

Perhaps everyone was already up and downstairs. Deciding this was most likely the reason, she quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth before running a comb carefully through her dark hair and stepping out into the hallway.

Still no noises.

Perplexed, she moved to the nearest door from her own and slid it a fraction aside, coming close to gaping at what she saw.

The room beyond the door appeared to open into some sort of indoor garden. A bewildering array of plant life filled almost every available space, it was almost like looking through a window into earth's prehistoric past.

The only thing that spoiled the illusion were the bits and pieces of all to modern machinery scattered around the room, most of it marked with a strange three eyed symbol Kyoko wasn't familiar with.

She heard a soft snore and her eyes travelled up the nearest tree to find the young foreigner from the previous day draped over one of the sturdier branches, snoozing peacefully.

Kyoko couldn't help but smile slightly at the rather adorable sight, softly closing the door again so as not to wake the other girl.

She moved down the hall to the next door.

She knew this room was occupied before she checked, she could hear the quiet startlingly loud snores emanating from within. Her brother's room perhaps?

Again she poked her head discreetly around the door and gagged a little as a the rather potent smell of Sake drifted through the new opening.

The room was a tad untidy, clothes and lingerie discarded on the floor along with several empty liquor bottles. In the futon at the far end of the room, the sandy haired woman from before slept the sleep of the dead…or the drunk at least.

Kyoko closed the door, wondering if she should continue on after that little experience, or just wait until everyone was up.

It occurred to her that if she wanted a private conversation with her brother and his fiancé, now was most likely the only time it would happen with so many people living under the same roof.

Steeling her courage, she pushed on.

The next room was, surprisingly, empty. It was decorated wall to wall with posters and stuffed animals, most definitely the room of a young girl, most likely Shinobu's room Kyoko guessed.

Kyoko took a second look around noting the simple innocence the room reflected.

One of the piles caught her eye. All the others were ordered in some fashion, size or make of plush animal determining its place, but one contained an anomaly.

Perched atop the largest pile, like a king on its throne, was a rather ugly grey frog like toy. Kyoko wondered what possible reason the blue haired girl could have to give such a thing a place of honour.

A stray memory from the previous afternoon filtered into her mind and she smiled. If she was correct, it was very cute.

Looking one last time at the misshapen plushie with new interest, she slid the door closed and moved on to the next.

This room was also empty, containing seemingly only a messy futon and a few dirty clothes, all of them black.

Koichi's room.

Kyoko frowned slightly at his untidy nature; he should no better by now. With a sigh she moved into the room and tentively picked up the used garments, folding them carefully and placing them on the small coffee table in his room where he couldn't miss them.

_Did he listen to anything we were taught_, she wondered disbelievingly, shaking her head as she left moving down the corridor to the next room.

She walked in when there were no sounds to be heard within and froze. It was almost like being back home. The room was organised with deliberate care, the only decorations those ordered by tradition, and off to one side, proudly displayed a full set of samurai armour behind a sword rack that held a single black sheaved katana.

_This must be my future sister-in-law's room_, she thought approvingly, taking in everything.

Kyoko decided that despite her appearance yesterday, Motoko-sama was no stranger to the world she and her brother came from, perhaps that would make Father more accepting of her brother's bride.

She closed the door as a thought suddenly struck her. If they were not in their rooms, then just where were her brother and soon to be sister? Could they be walking around un-chaperoned?

Kyoko shook her head, no, not even her brother would deviate so far from all they had been taught in something as vital as this union…would he?

She knew, although she didn't want to acknowledge it, that the probable answer was yes, yes he would, and he'd do it with a laugh and a smile.

Moving swiftly but gracefully, Kyoko located the stairs and descended to the ground floor, finding no signs of anyone in the living area.

Her ears perked as she heard a cheerful hum coming from somewhere on the floor. Curious, she followed the sound until it led her to the kitchen she had eaten in with the others the previous day.

Shinobu bustled about the relatively small space, humming contentedly, blue hair swaying in time with her movements as she turned the ingredients before her with deceptive ease into, Kyoko knew after tasting this girls food, a culinary master piece t serve to the other tenants for breakfast.

Kyoko was impressed, not a movement was wasted with this girl, everything was done with purpose and held its own peculiar for of grace.

She coughed to announce herself, carefully hiding a grin behind one silken sleeve when the blue haired girl jumped as if she had bellowed in her ear.

"K-Kyoko-san", she stammered, recovering her wits and offering a shaky but pretty smile, "You scared me".

"I apologise", Kyoko replied with an apologetic bow that seemed to fluster the other girl even more for some reason.

"No, it's ok, I just wasn't concentrating, I didn't hear you come in", Shinobu turned briefly back to her cooking, lowering the heat under a nearby pan and inspecting the contents for a few seconds before looking up again.

"Breakfast is a little way off yet, the others aren't usually up this early on a weekend", she said with a giggle, not noticing that Kyoko wasn't laughing. What did the day matter?

"Did you sleep well?", Shinobu continued, checking on a few more items as she began setting out trays and plates for the food while it cooked.

"Quite well, thank you", Kyoko replied, noticing that Shinobu seemed to be fussing over one plate more so than the others, arranging everything, frowning as if dissatisfied, and then changing the layout only to repeat the process seconds later.

Coupling yesterday with what she had seen this morning, Kyoko was more than able to guess at whom that plate belonged to.

"Is something the matter?", she asked diplomatically, her face neutral, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Hmm?", Shinobu answered, looking up as if having forgotten the other girl was there, suddenly blushing when she realised that she had gone through her normal routing but forgotten there was someone watching, she always liked things to be just right for Keitaro.

"No, no", she said, waving her hands defensively, "I'm just a bit of a perfectionist I guess".

Kyoko didn't need her tutors years of patient training to hear the nervous tremor in the other girls voice, or notice the wild gestures she was making. Normally she would have just dropped the subject if it was that clear it was not an open topic, but she wanted to learn everything about the people her brother was living with as possible, and a young woman with a crush on a clearly engaged man was not something she felt she could ignore in this situation. After all, what if it was some sort of bizarre weakness.

"That wouldn't happen to be Urashima-san's plate would it?", she asked, pitching her voice to sound only idly curious.

"No, no, I, erm, don't really plan out who gets what plate beforehand", the other girl said, clearly lying as her face went redder.

"I see…", she said, wondering whether to continue along this track or try something blunt. Shock tactics, that's what her mentor had jokingly called it.

"Maehara-san, are you attracted to Urashima-san?"

Kyoko learned at that moment that the human face is capable of some amazingly vivid shades of red.

"W-why would you say something like that!", the blue haired girl stuttered, confirming Kyoko's assumption.  
"I was merely curious", Kyoko replied, "I noticed the way you acted around him yesterday, and found it strange. He is engaged to Narusegawa-san correct?".

"Yes", Shinobu muttered, her face returning to its normal colour and dropping slightly, looking so sad that Kyoko began to feel uncomfortable.

"I apologise Maehara-san", Kyoko said, offering another bow, "That was surprisingly tactless of me, I was only trying to get a feel for the people my brother now lives with".

"You were afraid that if I were attracted to one engaged man, I might focus on another", Shinobu said, shocking Kyoko with her sudden flash of insight. Had she let something slip during her embarrassment?

"You really care for your brother, don't you?", Shinobu asked her smile returning.

"I'm just trying to make sure he does nothing to disgrace the family name", Kyoko said, schooling her face to perfect stillness, her voice a smooth as a plane of glass, "Though I may be a few years to late".

The blue haired girl giggled as if Kyoko had just made a funny joke, "Koichi-san isn't that bad, he just gets a little too…excitable, at times, but he's a lot more focused when Motoko-sempai's around, er, mostly anyway".

Kyoko smiled back faintly, she knew full well what a handful her brother could be at times.

"Besides", Shinobu added quietly, "I've known Urashima-sempai for a long time… he's always been there for me, I owe him a lot, even if I can never repay him the way I want to".

The pale girl blushed slightly at that last be and returned to her cooking.

Kyoko watched her for a while, her grey eyes introspective, thinking that there was a lot to that last statement, even in her own case.

"Maehara-san", she began slowly, "There are a lot of things we are denied in this life, for many reasons, some just, others not and many we cannot prevent… but that doesn't mean we should stop wanting them".

"Kyoko-san?", the blue haired girl asked, looking up slightly confused.

"Do you know where my fool of a brother might be found this morning?", she asked as if she had never spoken, looking out of the kitchen window.

"I think he and Motoko will be up on the laundry annex if they follow their usual routine, they like to train up there together sometimes", she said, puzzled over the other girl's sudden unease.

"Thank you, I will return when breakfast is served", she answered, gliding from the room silently.

Shinobu watched her leave, playing the last bit of that conversation over in her head as she resumed her morning chore.

A smile played across her pretty face as she unravelled the rather cryptic meaning behind the new girl's words.

"Thank you Kyoko-san", she whispered. Soon her cheerful humming could be heard from the kitchen once more. Perhaps Kyoko was more like her brother than she would like to believe.

* * *

Kyoko reached the laundry annex at her gliding pace, knowing by the loud sound of wood on wood that Shinobu had been correct, and her brother and his fiancé were indeed up there training.

A part of her wondered just how good her brother had become in his time away from the _Oni's Bane_ school. There had been rumour that he had taken on and successfully defeated Tsuruko Aoyama-Fusurko of the _Gods Cry_ school, their most prominent Blademaster, as part of the stipulation place upon he and the younger Aoyama sister's marriage when he had failed to propose to her before the deadline set up by the two schools.

She had been overjoyed at news of her brother's success against such a revered warrior, only slightly put out when her father had dismissed such rumours as falsehood, or even tried to allude to Koichi having cheated in someway, no matter the disgrace such a thing would bring upon the _Oni's Bane_ school were it accepted and proven true.

She had been very ashamed of her father at that point and told him so. Reluctantly he had ceased making wild accusations and withdrawn his objections not wishing to seem smaller in his daughter's eyes.

As gruff and fearsome as Kenichi Sagura was to others as master and lord of the _Oni's Bane_ school of secret arts, he had a private weakness for his youngest child, known only to his immediate family, and would never long continue in any course of action that would make her think less of him, the sole exception being his continued feud with his eldest, Koichi.

Kyoko stole stealthily up to the steps of the annex and crouched low, climbing carefully up one step at a time until she could just about see the over the deck.

Koichi clad in a white, sleeveless Gi, swung his wooden blade at the head of his opponent, dressed in the traditional white and red robes of her school, and was blocked by a swift parry that was capitalised on a moment later as she lashed out under handed, forcing him back a step or two.

"Your getting sloppy Koi-kun", Motoko teased, repeating the private joke that had become part of their training banter.

"Maybe I'm just going easy on you cause you're cute Motoko-chan", he answered, circling her warily, grinning the whole time.

"Or maybe this is the best you can do", she challenged enjoying the verbal sparring almost as much as the physical.

"Oh, is that what you think?", he said his blade moving to his side and his grin changing to something devious, "Care to make a little wager?"

Motoko considered this for a moment, knowing that since this was Koichi speaking there was probably some sort of catch but confident that she could take him. He was not the only one to have beaten her elder sister after all.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"How bout, if you win, I'll submit to any training you see fit, no matter how hellish, and if I win… well, I'll think of something when the time comes. Deal?"

Motoko thought this over for a moment, it was possibly quite dangerous to leave his end of the bet open like that…but she was reasonably sure she could trust him not to take advantage if he managed to win this little match.

_Like you'd try to stop him_, a voice she viciously squashed, taunted, her cheeks flaming.

"Something wrong Motoko-chan?" he asked, trying not to smirk at her reddened cheeks and failing, "Something cross you're mind?".

Motoko glared at him as if he were the source of the previous thought, "I agree to the terms, you're going down Sagura".

"I hope so", he said back cheerily, sweating and cringing slightly at the look she directed at him, "To far right? Yeah, my bad. You ready?".

Motoko nodded curtly, settling into a balanced stance.

There was a flare of Ki and Koichi blurred from view. Even as Motoko registered what he had just done and began extending her senses to try and locate him again, there was another flare and she felt two strong arms wrap around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Wha- hey, you cheating swine!", she yelled more angry with herself than him for not seeing that coming, "You-"

"I never said anything about keeping this enhancement free", he interrupted her, talking right by her ear.

Motoko slumped slightly in his grasp. It was true, they had never set any preconditions on this 'match', so he had done nothing wrong, he had won fair and square. Which meant that…

"So… what do you plan to do", she asked, trying to sound unconcerned as his face took on a thoughtful air.

"Oh I don't know, any ideas?".

Motoko tested his grip. Too strong to break, no escape.

"No", she said, sounding a little sulky.

"Relax Motoko", he chuckled, resting his head on her shoulder, "You know I'm not gonna make you do anything bad, and besides I already know what I want".

Turning her around he pulled her into a kiss.

"There", he said smiling down at his slightly breathless fiancé, "Just what I was looking for".

He chuckled slightly and scratched the back of his head, "Though come to think of it, maybe I should have asked to have you as my love slave for a week- _Omph!_"

He wheezed slightly, trying to pull in the air that had been expelled when Motoko's fist mad contact with his gut.

"Kidding!"

"Baka"

"Ahem", both of them turned to locate the source of the new voice, Kyoko Sagura, hand still raised, looking slightly to their left rather than directly at them. What might have been a faint blush staining her cheeks, but at this distance it was hard to tell for sure.

"Something I can help you with brat?", Koichi asked, a little annoyed at having the moment ruined by his little sister.

"Yes actually, I was hoping to speak with both of you in private…", she said, turning to face them, the phantom blush just a memory, "It's fortunate I came when I did, otherwise who knows what else you might have inflicted on Motoko-sama".

Koichi rolled his eyes at that statement while Motoko smiled, it was rather cute hearing such proper and disapproving words used by such a young girl. It reminded her of how she herself had been at that age, although with less violence.

"Well you're here now squirt, what do you want?", Koichi said, leaning back casually against the rail.

"I just need to clarify a few things brother…", she paused as if considering how to word what she said next, "Have you slept together?"

There was a loud _thud_ as Koichi's arm slipped of the banister and he plunged to the ground.

"What kind of a question is that!", he shouted angrily, picking himself back up.

"I'll take that as a no then", she said, mentally granting herself a point in her and Koichi's little game and schooling her features to stillness lest she smile in victory.

"I'm warning you brat, don't push me"

Kyoko nodded, she had her answer and her point so she need say nothing else to embarrass him.

"I apologise brother, I was merely trying to see if at least some of what our mentors taught us permeated that dense cranium of yours", ok so maybe it wouldn't hurt to be in the lead.

"Just cause they didn't cram the book up my arse doesn't mean I lack honour brat"

She didn't miss the meaning of that, or whom it was directed at and silently acknowledged his small victory.

"Kyoko-chan", Motoko said, stepping into to break up the brewing sibling rivalry, "You said you wanted to talk to us"

"Hai Motoko-sama. It has been a long time since I last saw Koichi, I trust he has been well?"

"A few bumps and bruises, nothing he didn't deserve at some point"

Koichi gave his fiancé a look that clearly said '_Traitor'_, while Kyoko smiled at the older woman's candour.

"I see, knowing my brother I have no doubt…have the two of you set a date for your wedding?"

Motoko and Koichi exchanged surprised glances, "No Kyoko-chan, there has been no date set yet, we both agreed we needed a small period to get reacquainted before that".

"…I see".

Motoko suddenly had the strange sensation that she was being interviewed, but quickly shrugged it aside as ridiculous.

"Anything else brat?", Koichi asked into the ensuing silence, the siblings grey eyed gazed never wavering from each other. A soundless battle of wills.

"No…no I just wanted a chance to talk…Motoko-sama, perhaps we could take tea together later, I was led to believe that there was a tea house near the premises", Kyoko said.

"Yes, it's run by Kitsune and an old friend of the landlord, I'm sure they won't mind us stopping by", Motoko wondered why she could see Koichi making frantic chopping motions across his neck out of the corner of her eye.

"Excellent, then I shall see you later. Motoko-sama, Oni-san", she said with a brief bow before leaving them alone once more.

"I really wish you hadn't done that", Koichi sighed as soon as she was out of sight.

* * *

Kyoko stumbled slightly as a heavy weight settled on her from behind, almost flattening the dark haired girl as she made her way from the dining area.

She regained her balance and turned a quizzical eyebrow on her assailant, the hyperactive Mol-Molian girl known as Kaolla Su.

"What are you doing Su-san?", she asked, trying to carefully dislodge the blond but finding her task next to impossible.

"Playing", was the typically happy reply, "Koi-kun's going off to train some more with Motoko or whatever they do alone all the time, Shinobu has dishes to wash, Kitsune has a hangover, Naru and Keitaro went into town together and Sara doesn't get here till noon, so that just leaves you".

"Su-san…how old are you?", Kyoko asked, becoming annoyed at her increasingly vain attempts to get the girl to release her.

"Sixteen…well actually I'm almost seventeen now I suppose, why'd ya ask?"

Kyoko managed to remove one arm only to find it back in place seconds later.

"Because Su-san, you are not acting like a woman of seventeen, you're behaviour is immature and quite annoying…would you please let me go!".

The weight on her shoulders was suddenly gone and she turned around to find a wide-eyed Su staring at her in disbelief.

Kyoko nodded her head curtly and breezed toward the stairs, leaving an upset and confused Kaolla Su in her wake.

* * *

She got to the top of the stairs and let out a long slow breath, calming herself. Kyoko rarely snapped at anyone, that was probably a first.

Angered more by her own behaviour than anything else she jumped when a companionable arm slung itself across her shoulders and the warm Sake breath assaulted her nostrils.

"Hey kid, you ok?", Kitsune asked, tilting her head down to look closer at Kyoko's pinched expression.

"I'm fine, thank you Konno-san", she replied primly, removing the offending appendage draped around her to distance herself, "May I suggest a little less drinking in the morning, it is not lady-like behaviour".

Kitsune watched as the younger girl glided away up the hall without another word.

* * *

Motoko was uncomfortable. That was an understatement but you get the picture. She was seated across from Kyoko at one of the outside tables of the Hinata Tea house while the younger girl sipped delicately at the tea provided by Mutsumi, seemingly paying her no mind.

She may have thought the younger woman was almost interviewing her and Koichi before, but she had been informed in no uncertain terms by the elder Sagura, that this little get together would be exactly that.

He had explained very briefly about his sisters training in manner, etiquette and the political arts, all things that stressed subtly he had told her, and thus all things taught to the children of the _Oni's Bane_ school.

"Motoko-sama", the girl said, in such a glacially calm voice it was frightening, jolting the already nervous Motoko out of her thoughts.

Motoko felt vaguely stupid being so anxious. She had faced down other warriors, demons, even her own sister, so why did the thought of having a future in-law, a girl two years her junior no less, ask her about her relationship with Koichi, frighten her?

_You know why, it's because you nearly lost him once, and you're scared it'll happen again. Only this time you're being pushed in out of your depth in unfamiliar waters_.

Motoko did the mental equivalent of gagging the annoying voice and ran through a few breathing exercises to calm her nerves.

"Yes Kyoko-chan?"

"How do you feel about my brother?", she asked, looking over the rim of her cup as she took another sip.

Motoko almost sighed with relief; this was a relatively easy question.

"I love him", she said simply, smiling a tad wistfully.

Kyoko didn't seemed phased by this reply.

"Indeed", she took another sip and set the cup down as if in thought.

"How much", she asked, the question throwing Motoko for a second.

"Excuse me?"

"How much do you love my brother Motoko-sama?", the girl asked, her eyes making no demands, imparting nothing, but somehow seeming to bore into the older woman's skull, as if daring her to make the wrong answer.

"I…don't understand what you're asking Kyoko-chan", Motoko finally replied.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

Motoko felt herself beginning to sweat, just what the hell did a raised eyebrow mean? Was that good or bad?

Kyoko ran a slender finger around the rim of her cup, breaking eye contact and enabling Motoko to breath again, at least for a little while.

"I see…let me try to explain as best I am able…", the grey eyed girl paused, folding both hands carefully in her lap, "There are certain…sacrifices, we all make Motoko-sama…How much this applies to your situation if at all I must confess I don't entirely know…but what would you be willing to sacrifice for my brother?".

Motoko's eyes narrowed, not knowing what exactly the other girl was implying, "What kind of sacrifice?"

"Should it matter?", the younger girl said without batting an eyelid.

Motoko's hands clenched under the table, there was no ready reply to that and she was sure Kyoko knew that.

The younger of the pair shrugged minutely and resumed drinking her tea.

Motoko grasped her own cup for something to do with her hands and began raising it to her lips.

"So just how far _have_ you gone with my brother?"

Motoko felt the tea go down the wrong way and soon she was hacking and coughing desperately to try and clear her airways.

Kyoko sipped at her tea calmly as she watched the sceptical, smiling apologetically.

"Excuse me miss", Kyoko said as Mutsumi came to see what the problem was, "I believe we will both require fresh cups".

* * *

Shinobu shivered as she ascended the last few steps to the attic. It was always cold and dusty up here, no matter the time of year, and with things scuttling to and fro in the darkness, or perhaps just in the shadows of her mind, it was a place the blue haired girl was not especially fond of.

"Why did I get called up here", she whined, clutching her arms to her chest and stepping timidly out into the dark.

"H-hello? Is anyone there?".

"So glad you finally made it", a nearby shadow chuckled, laughing harder when she gave a frightened shriek.

"W-what do you want?"

"We're here to discuss the Hinata Sou's latest potential problem", the shadow said, the voice sounding distinctly familiar.

"P-problem?", Shinobu asked, her eyes growing wide as other shadows began to move toward her.

"Yep", the first shadow said. There was a small _click_, and the room was suddenly illuminated by several flashlights, revealing the speaker to be none other than Kitsune.

"A little problem called Kyoko Sagura".

* * *

----Author Notes----

Another chapter out, little bit about Kyoko revealed, and a lot more coming next chapter, well sort of…..---has an idea--- lol, I wonder if that would make them cheer me or lynch me lol


	4. Chapter 3: Can't we all just, get along?

Chapter three: Can't we all just, get along?

"A little problem called Kyoko Sagura".

The others nodded sagely, harsh shadows cast over their faces, making it seem as if they were pronouncing judgement.

"What's wrong with Kyoko-san?", Shinobu asked, not understanding why the other girls were agreeing with Kitsune. She was a little stiff, but Koichi's little sister wasn't a problem surely, the residents of the Hinata Sou had faced far, far worse. One person in particular leaping to mind.

* * *

Somewhere near Mount Fuji, struggling to lug her heavy back-pack up the shear cliff face behind her diminutive but sprightly grandmother, Kanako Urashima sneezed violently. 

"Something the matter dear?", a kindly voice called from somewhere above her.

"No,", she reassured the much older woman, wiping her nose and resuming her climb, "Just had the strangest sensation for a second, like someone had shouted my name or something".

* * *

"You must be joking", Kitsune said, leaning back against a dusty beam, "That girl has a serious bad attitude, and we all know how easy something like that can rub off on everybody else"

* * *

Another sneeze, this time she lost her grip and flailed for a second as gravity tried to assist her to the ground the hard way before finding purchase again. 

"God damn it, what the hell!"

* * *

"I'm afraid I must agree", another voice, Motoko's added reluctantly, "I don't want to say anything negative of someone who will soon be family, but she left me with a rather negative impression today. No one should grill another person about their private life like that". 

Shinobu thought for a second she saw the older woman blush, but couldn't be sure in the gloom.

She thought back on her own conversation today with Kyoko. True she had been rather abrupt, but she had offered support and comfort where few did these days, even her friends, so it fell to Shinobu to stand in her defence.

"I don't think she's as bad as she lets on", the blue haired girl said, feeling distinctly uneasy as all eyes turned on her with varying degrees of disapproval.

"Not as bad, I've seen blizzards warmer than that girl, never would have expected something like that from anyone related to Koichi", Kitsune said crossing her arms and frowning.

"Yeah, something needs to be done!"

Everyone looked at Su a little taken aback. Kaolla Su liked everyone; she had even liked Kanako (or her cat Kuro at least). So to hear her talk even slightly negatively about anyone was unheard of.

"What? She was mean to me. If she didn't want to play all she had to do was say"

"So", Kitsune said scanning the others' faces, "We're in agreement, something has to be done".

"What are you planning to do?", Shinobu asked nervously, not missing the glint in the fox girl's slit like eye.

"Oh you'll see", she responded with a devious chuckle, "You'll see".

* * *

The next week was…unusual, for Kyoko Sagura, to put it mildly. 

She first began to notice something unusual was happening when she realised that she couldn't hear anything from Su's room.

Normally there would be all manner of strange and dangerous sounds echoing out from the blond haired girls abode, like the racket one would expect to find in an industrial park rather than a dormitory.

Thus when Kyoko found herself able to think peacefully in her room long enough to notice on more than one occasion, she finally became curious enough to try and determine what was going on with the boisterous foreigner.

Rising from where she knelt near her window and smoothing out some minute creases in her dark green kimono, Kyoko padded softly across the hall and knocked on the other girl's door.

No answer.

She rapped again, a little louder this time with the same response.

_How strange_

It was at that moment Kyoko became aware of the almost eerie stillness that had descended upon the entire of the third floor, as if the very building itself were attempting to fade from notice.

To a politically trained mind such as Kyoko's the hush was…suspicious. There was something happening beneath this tranquil exterior and part of her felt compelled to seek out the cause even as another urged caution, advising her to simply sit back and watch as things evolved.

The more rational side of her being may have succeed in its council but for two factors. Firstly, she had found herself with little to do but quietly contemplate the riddles given to her by her instructors for focusing the mind in such lulling periods, and secondly, she was blood kin to Koichi Sagura. Boredom was somewhat anther to the Sagura siblings, even if it usually only seemed to drive the elder of the pair to distraction.

Deciding that there was really no more profitable way to solve her time than unravelling a simple mystery such as this, Kyoko moved down the hall at her gliding pace, pausing only briefly to focus on the sounds, or lack thereof coming from each of the rooms.

When her search of this floor yielded no new information, she proceeded by logic down to the next.

This time she found signs of habitation in the form of a gentle conversation echoing from the landlord and his fiancé's room.

Kyoko's brow crinkled slightly as she stood outside the dorm manager's room. It ran contrary to her beliefs, or those she had been instilled with at least, that these two should share a bed before they were wed, but, she acknowledged, not everyone had been raised as she and her brother.

Her hand hesitated over knocking. The tone of the voices within was low, tender even, and though she had no way of knowing, her teenage mind came up with plenty of possible explanations for such whispered words.

Shaking her head before her mind could progress further with its musings, she rapped the door lightly, somewhat relieved when she heard no frantic scrambling, only the rich voice of Keitaro Urashima as he bid her enter.

She bowed as she entered, showing the respect for her elders she had always been taught to show, missing his slightly embarrassed expression and his bride-to-be's amused smile.

"How can we help you Kyoko-chan?", Naru asked when the younger Sagura sibling had finished.

"I was wondering if you had seen my brother, or Motoko-sama", Kyoko said, naming the two most likely to give her answers to where everyone had suddenly vanished to.

Keitaro looked thoughtful for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"Sorry Kyoko-chan, Motoko is likely attending classes, I think she has a long day today school wise but she should be back soon", he said glancing at Naru for confirmation, "And as for Koichi…well actually I don't know where he is, he sometimes helps me by doing a few chores or cleaning out the hot springs, since that tends to be rather dangerous work when I try to tackle it".

Kyoko could only wonder why Naru smirked as if enjoying a private joke and playfully pecked Keitaro on the check while he rubbed the back of his head as if nursing an old wound.

"Most days he can be found on the roof if he's not working", Naru added, "But sometimes I worry about him. He and Motoko plan to marry one day, but unlike her he seems to have little or no interest in furthering his education or getting a job…I sometimes wonder where he gets all his money from".

Kyoko didn't miss the older woman's implied question, but decided to pretend she had. It was not her place to reveal why Koichi wasn't too concerned about his monetary future.

As for his current funds…

Kyoko almost smiled. Koichi had, ahem, _borrowed_, a sizable sum from their Father's private coffers in response to his freezing of Koichi's own assets after their last fight.

Their Father had been less than impressed.

"If you're bored Su-chan and Shinobu-chan should have returned from school by now, I'm sure they'll be willing to keep you company for a while", Keitaro suggested adjusting his glasses.

"Arigato Urashima-san, I'll keep an eye out for them", she replied with another polite bow.

_Actually, perhaps Shinobu would know something_, Kyoko thought as she said her goodbyes and left.

As soon as she was out of earshot Keitaro let out a long breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"Well, that was fun", he said with a nervous chuckle, resting back on his palms, "I hope those girls know what they're doing, she seems a nice enough girl to me, a little reserved perhaps, but nice enough".

"That's because you only see the best in everyone, you big idiot", Naru said thumping his shoulder lightly while smiling at one of the many things about her fiancé she had fallen in love with, "but I sort of agree I guess. Motoko was right though, that girl is scarily good at making you feel as if she knows more than she's letting on".

Keitaro sent her a questioning look and she could only hang her head. He was so oblivious to the most obvious of things at times.

* * *

Kyoko had decided to work with the information she had been given on her brother's habits, and check out the bathing area first. 

It had proven a waste of time. Koichi was nowhere to be seen, and the hot spring was void of any occupants.

Still it had proved a pleasant enough spot to contemplate her reason for coming here, to the Hinata Sou while her body soaked in the replenishing mineral water of the hot spring.

Bathed and refreshed she donned her garments once more and proceeded to search the lower level of the dorm with a figurative fine-toothed comb.

Again it seemed as if everyone had taken a leave of absence without informing her.

This puzzle was beginning to pique her interest genuinely. Urashima-san had told her that Su-san and Maehara-san should be here somewhere, and yet they were not. Either he was mistaken, a possibility, or…

Or perhaps he was deliberately misleading her. She had sensed that there was something the older couple had been skirting around, but she had decided to leave them with their secrets.

Kyoko was in the kitchen when she heard the front door slid open, followed closely by some muffled cursing and oddly enough, the _clink clink_, of glass on glass.

Moving noiselessly, the dark haired girl slipped into the hallway linking the kitchen to the main living area and moved, wraith-like, up to the intersection that placed her near the living room and peered around the corner.

She had arrived in time to see Kitsune lugging several very large, and very heavy looking bottles of premium Sake up the stairs toward her room.

As the owner of the local teahouse, a place where alcoholic beverages could sometimes be served at specific times throughout the year, it shouldn't have seemed out of place for the fox girl to be in possession of such drinks. However, she was clearly carrying them _away_ from the teahouse, not toward it.

Surely not even Mitsune Konno's legendary _Iron Liver_ could withstand the shear quantity of alcohol now in her possession.

Careful to maintain her distance, Kyoko waited until the sandy haired woman had passed out of sight before silently following, flitting from shadow to shadow.

She held back near the third floor landing, lurking near the top. Kyoko was sure she had just heard someone moving up the stairs behind her…

"_Rock Splitting Sword!_"

Kyoko let out an involuntary shriek as the thankfully weak Ki blast hurled her off her feet, leaving her slumped and dishevelled against the nearby wall.

"Kyoko-chan?", she heard her blurry outline of an assailant asked disbelievingly.

As her vision reluctantly agreed to return to normal, she saw Motoko standing over her, bokken tied to her waist, her hand extended and a concerned smile on her face.

"I'm sorry about that", the samurai girl said, helping her to he feet and checking her for injury, "I saw someone hiding on the stairs and thought we might have a prowler on the premises".

The grey eyed girl's embarrassment was more than equal to the task of squashing any indignation she may have felt for being mistaken for a prowler, and she reassured the nervous older woman that she was unharmed.

As soon as Motoko left, a quick glance confirmed that Kitsune was nowhere in sight, and gone was her chance to find out what at least one of the Hinata Sou's tenants was doing.

It belatedly occurred to her as she returned to her room to rest after her rather abrupt end to sleuthing, that she had been so ashamed about what had happened that she had let Motoko go without a single question.

Inwardly shrugging, Kyoko reminded herself that tomorrow was another day.

* * *

Indeed, another day, another chance for mayhem as her brother had often told her when they were children. She had always liked to think that maxim had applied only to Koichi, who trouble seemed to follow like a loyal puppy or a long lost twin. 

However she was rapidly beginning to wonder if it was a family affliction.

She thought back over the past two days since she had been inadvertently attacked by Motoko, thinking she was a criminal stalking around the dorm.

The following day she had attempted to locate the older girl, intent on making up for forgetting to question her when she had the chance. Motoko, she had been informed had the entire day free from university, thus it should have been relatively simple to find her and hold a conversation correct?

Wrong.

For the first half of the day Kyoko could find neither head nor tail of the raven-haired warrior anywhere.

She had attempted to corner her after breakfast but the older girl had all but vanished in a puff of smoke, and when she had returned to the kitchen to ask the others if they knew where she might have gone, she had been greeted by an empty room, the swing door for the alternate exit to the room swaying in an imagined breeze as if everyone had crowded from the room as soon as she had left the table.

Despite this, Kyoko felt no affront, it just confirmed in her eyes that the rest of the residents were involved in something that they didn't want her to know of. Kyoko had allowed herself a small grin at that point, she had been practicing her whole life to see through other's false fronts, these girls didn't stand a chance if they thought to conceal some kind of plot against her.

It was a confidence of self that was to be sorely tested.

A top to bottom search disguised as random wondering, revealed nothing, and most irritatingly, the other housemates had once again vanished.

It was past midday before she caught sight of Motoko disappearing around the far end of the third floor hallway toward the laundry annex.

Putting on a burst of speed she rounded the corner herself and jogged lightly up the stairs, only to find the annex completely deserted.

Upon leaving she had stopped her again turning into what looked like Koichi's room.

She was by the door in seconds, sliding it swiftly aside only to be confronted once more with an empty room.

The rest of the day continued in a similar fashion, with Kyoko half convinced she was either being led on a merry little chase for no other reason than to drive her insane before she could deduce what was happening.

As it turned out, she would look back fondly on that day as probably the calmest for some time to come.

* * *

The day after she had decided to try a different track, throwing off her opponents by switching targets randomly. 

She had drawn lots and grimaced mildly when the name Kaolla Su turned up. That girl was a little to rowdy for her tastes.

She had waited patiently in the living area, sipping contently on a cup of her favourite tea to pass the time as she awaited Su's return from school.

The allotted time came and went with no sign of the hyperactive Mol-Molian girl.

Kyoko knew that there was no way for them to know what she was doing, but she was still beginning to feel vaguely paranoid.

Eventually the lack of activity began to strain even her patience, and she decided to retreat to her room to re-evaluate her options.

No sooner had she closed her door with a world-weary sigh; than she heard another door open, and felt the floor vibrate slightly with the bounding steps of Kaolla Su.

Not daring to believe her luck, she poked her head around her door. It was definitely Su; no one else at Hinata Sou had brilliant blond hair or tanned skin.

She had clutched in her arms, a plain brown box, packed with something that jingled and rattled as she moved. A new invention perhaps?

Stealing forward, Kyoko began to call out to the other girl as something landed at her feet with a dull _thud_.

She glanced down as the smoke grenade exploded, covering most of the hall in a think white smog and obscuring Su from view. Not exactly subtle, but certainly effective.

Coughing, Kyoko grit her teeth determinedly. Now she knew something was being hidden from her.

_Oh no you don't_, she thought, unable to deny that this idle pass time had just entered a new, and more exciting level.

Using the wall to guide her, Kyoko set off in hot pursuit.

There was an odd whistling noise that brought her up short. The noise was rapidly getting closer and she gasped, inadvertently sucking in more of the think smoke as a rocket, about the size of her fist and colourfully decorated with the three eyes of Mol-Mol, ripped out of the fog ahead, flaring straight at her.

She yelped and dropped flat as the missile sailed by overhead, detonating against the wall at the other end of the corridor seconds later.

People of less constitution might have fled at this point, but not Kyoko Sagura. Pushing herself back to her feet, she pushed on, eyes alert for other threats.

She didn't have to wait long. Another projectile soared out of obscurity, this time trailing a fine net in its wake, and only reflexes she hadn't known she possessed enabled her to roll clear of it before she could be ensnared.

Her pretty face coming close to a snarl of defiance, she ran forward once more as the smoke finally began to clear, dodging several more traps as she went.

Kyoko stood panting when she reached the far end of the 'gauntlet', and almost screamed and cursed when she saw that her quarry had vanished.

It had taken a supreme amount of self-control to calm herself and admit defeat, before returning to her room to plan again.

* * *

Thus she found herself here, trailing an oblivious Shinobu like some kind of stalker. She had followed her since she returned from school this Friday night, noting everything she did, no matter how seemingly unimportant. 

So far the blue haired girl had done nothing particularly note worthy. Truth be told Kyoko thought she was on a fools errand. If anyone here was involved in duplicity and scheming, she doubted it to be this girl, she hadn't come across to Kyoko as someone to who such things would come naturally.

She watched as Shinobu moved through the kitchen, going about her usual tasks.

This is pointless, I should be- 

Kyoko's thought train was interrupted when the other girl cast a quick, nervous glance around and left.

Unable to account for the sudden departure, Kyoko left her hiding place and followed. She had just stepped out into the hall when the floor seemed to lurch upwards, impacting against her shins and sending her tumbling to the floor.

By the time she looked up Shinobu was gone. Kyoko's face darkened as she stood, this was ceasing to be amusing, she needed to relax and regain her focus.

She was surprised to find that her angry wonderings had led her to the laundry annex, but as she starred out over the stunning view it offered of the town and the sakura trees, she understood what had led her there.

Leaning against the banister, Kyoko sighed heartily, noting with some amusement that she seemed to be doing a lot of that recently.

"Something I can help you with brat?"

Kyoko spun at the sound of Koichi's voice, finding him lounging on the roof, his hands behind his head as if he had been napping and his usual lopsided smile in place.

Typical, the moment she stops searching someone pops up.

"What do you mean?"

Koichi shrugged as eloquently as one can lying down, "You tell me".

Kyoko debated telling him anything. However, he was her brother, and surely wouldn't help any plot against her.

"…It seems that the others have become a tad…scare, of late"

"You mean you think they're avoiding you"

Kyoko almost glared at his bluntness, "…Yes. It seems as if every time I catch so much as a glimpse of one of them, they run the other way".

"I doubt it, I think it's all in your head brat"

This time she did glare at him, unfortunately it had the same effect as it always had, namely it just made him laugh.

"Trust me", he said when his giggles subsided, "You've got nothing to worry about".

"You may believe that but back home-"

"This isn't like that place", he snapped firmly, silencing her for a moment before his face softened, "These are good people imouto, I trust them, and so should you".

Kyoko smiled at him and bowed her thanks; she could always rely on her brother to remind her that there _was_ good in the world, "Arigato Oni-san".

"Whatever brat", he said, looking around as if checking for something before smiling in a way that gave her the distinct impression she had left herself open to something, "Now either get a chest or get out of here".

Kyoko's face screwed up in rage, "Koichi no baka!"

He was still laughing, coming dangerously close to rolling off the roof when she stomped down the stairs back to the third floor.

* * *

Kyoko was fuming when she passed by Shinobu's room. So mad in fact that she almost missed the sounds of hushed conversation coming from within. 

Her anger fled as she heard her name calling in hushed tones and paused, crouching by the door and pressing her ear against it.

Eavesdropping may have been frowned upon, even in the circles she had been brought up to move in, but it was still an effective last-ditch resort.

"Is everything in order?", she heard a voice, Kitsune's she believed, ask.

"Yep, I got everything out of my room without to much trouble", came a jubilant reply. Su.

"Unless you count the hole you blew in the wall a problem Su", came a stern voice…Motoko's?

"So, Keitaro fixed it like he always does"

"That's not the point Su", came a fourth, hard to hear, voice, one very familiar, "What you did was dangerous, she isn't like Koichi or sempai, you could have really hurt her… I still don't think this is all necessary".

"Look Shinobu"

Kyoko heard herself hiss. So Shinobu _was_ in on this.

_Of course, it is her room_, she heard the angry voice of her instructor echo inside her mind, _Always remember, everyone is guilty until proven innocent, no exceptions, you'll last longer if you remember that_.

"For this to work we need everyone to work together, no dissention among the ranks, now are you with us or not?"

"…Yes", was the timid reply seconds later.

Kyoko didn't wait to hear anything more. Rising silently she retreated to the safety of her room.

_So much for them being trustworthy big brother_, she thought angrily.

Recognising her anger in the way she gripped viciously at the silken material of her kimono, she focused on her breathing until the feeling subsided. She would need to be cool if she was to be on guard against whatever came next.

She would wait, and when they struck, she would be ready.

* * *

She wasn't waiting long. Barely an hour after she settled in to make her plans a small piece of paper was slipped under her door. 

A quick scan of the corridor revealed no obvious messenger, but that was to be expected.

Returning to her spot by the window, Kyoko unfolded the paper carefully and read the note delicately scribed inside:

_Dear Kyoko Sagura,_

_You are requested to meet with the sender of this letter in the all purpose room on the first floor at nine sharp this evening, no earlier, no later_

Yours Sincerely, anonymous 

Kyoko read and re-read the letter carefully, but found no more useful information from it.

Re-folding it she placed it on the small table she had been provided with and glanced at the clock.

19:46

A little over an hour to prepare. There was no question of whether or not she would meet the sender of this letter. She would go, if for no other reason than that to prove that Kyoko Sagura was not one to be trifled with.

* * *

Kyoko stood outside the all purpose room at the appointed time, viewing the doors and the silence beyond with open distrust. 

She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out of her plain white kimono and set her shoulders. Whatever lay beyond these doors, she would handle it.

Getting a firm grip on the handle and taking one last cleansing breath, she drew the door aside…

"SURPRISE!"

The cry was deafening, and the sight beyond the door left the grey-eyed girl momentarily slack jawed.

The room had been festooned with decorations and posters of every colour and hue imaginable. Along one wall, a buffet table had been arranged, food of every description arranged around a large crystal bowl filled with red punch. All of the residents of the Hinata Sou were present, grinning at her speechlessness as she starred at banner strung up above it all.

It read: _Hinata House Welcomes Kyoko Sagura_

"I…I don't understand", was all she was finally able to choke out.

"It's simple honey", Kitsune said stepping forward, "We know from experience how bad things can get around here if you're not welcomed properly into our little family, trust me we do. There are no outsiders in the Hinata Sou, this is our way of saying you're one of the gang, for better or worse".

"How come I never got anything like this?", Koichi asked mock grumpily from where he sat next to Motoko.

"You got me and a bottle of Sake if you recall sugar", Kitsune answered over her shoulder, "That's a party right there".

Koichi seemed to mull this over for a second before smiling and nodding, apparently unaware of the death glare being broadcast between him and Kitsune via Motoko.

"This is almost a Hinata Sou tradition", Naru spoke up, moving over from where she and Keitaro stood to stand next to Kitsune, "Think of it as a 'getting to know you' party".

Kyoko's face must have looked dubious rather than surprised.

"You'll stay won't you Kyoko-san?", Shinobu asked, "We spent a long time planning this to get it just right".

_So this is what they were doing all this time…_

Kyoko's smile was one of her rare genuine ones as she answered, "Of course I will, thank you for this everyone".

Kitsune stopped her as she made to bow, handing her a small cup as she straightened out again, "No need for that here honey, just enjoy yourself, ok?".

Kyoko looked down at the cup she had been handed. Sake.

She looked around at all the smiling and waiting faces.

"Sure", she said, wincing a little as she took a tentative sip of the strong liquor, "Why not".

"Alright then, lets get this shindig started already!", Kitsune shouted, and the dark haired girl couldn't help but smile at her exuberance.

* * *

The night wore on. The party goers ate, drank and sang or danced to the music provided courtesy of another of Su's inventions. 

Kyoko sat quietly, listening to Keitaro and Naru's stories of life at the Hinata Sou, and their own experiences and adventures, with the occasional intervention from one of the others as they added detail or in Su's case, embellishment, to the story being told.

They were only occasionally interrupted by Kitsune as she made her rounds to ensure everyone's drinks were topped up.

Still the party went on, somewhere near or past midnight by now and out came the karaoke, again thanks to the local girl genius. Kyoko smiled politely through a number of performances, both good and bad, sipping on the drink given to her by Kitsune, the one that, unbeknownst to her, the fox girl had been refilling every time she put it down.

After a rather appalling number by a slightly tipsy Motoko, made to drink as a matter of pride after some comment or other from an equally intoxicated Kitsune, Kyoko herself was urged to the 'stage'.

A strange warm glow in the pit of her stomach and her cheeks well on their way to rosy, she accepted the challenge rather than politely declining as she would have done normally.

It took some time to scan through the pop material to find something more traditional that she was familiar with, but when she did find something, she serenaded the residents with a rare talent she was normally too poised and self-conscious to expose.

Her already reddened checks darkened at their praise and whistles and she murmured thanks as she retreated from the mike, part of her not believing what she had just done.

Why had she just done that? Kyoko was trying to figure it out when she suddenly noticed that she couldn't seem to convince her legs to move exactly as she wanted them to, it was like she was fighting them and only partially succeeding.

Despite having never been drunk, she retained enough of her faculties to understand what had happened. Especially seeing as how an unknowing Kitsune was in the process of refilling her cup as she stumbled her way back to her seat.

My god, I'm drunk! She's been plying me all night! 

An irrational panic began to descend on Kyoko as the merry laughter around her took on a much more sinister air.

Was this all part of their plot, lower my defences and leave me vulnerable? 

She began to feel a little light-headed, instinctively reaching out to stabilise herself.

Unfortunately it was at that moment her legs chose to cease pretending to obey her whims, and collapsed beneath her.

Her flailing arms caught hold of the clothe on the buffet table as she went down, yanking it toward her and sending its contents everywhere.

Kyoko could only watch in horror as a wave of red fluid flew from the tumbling bowl, arcing toward where she lay.

It covered her, staining the top of her white kimono, rendering it a light pink in patches.

All noise seemed to stop in an instant, every eye on her as she scrambled back to her feet, drenched and humiliated.

She tried to hold herself up to the sea of starring faces, but could feel herself crumbling. All they would see would be a punch soaked drunk. How _proud_ father would be if he saw her now.

Tears that she couldn't remember forming, streamed down her cheeks as she ran from the room, bouncing clumsily against the doorframe in her haste and almost falling.

When she was gone all was silent.

Koichi began to stand but was surprised when Shinobu hurried past him, blue hair bobbing gently as she chased after the distraught younger Sagura.

Again silence reigned supreme.

"…Well…that seemed like a bit of an overreaction", Kitsune said, still starring at where the two girls had left.

Motoko opened her mouth, but it was Koichi who spoke.

"Not for her", he began quietly, looking around to make sure he had everyone's attention, "Kyoko prides herself on her poise…her dignity… in many ways it's all she has".

"What do you mean?", asked Naru.

Koichi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "…The women in my family…in my Clan really…aren't given a lot of choice in life, they're relegated to very…traditional, roles. That includes all of the things that go with such a role, beauty, dignity, wit and the like. Our mother was the epitome of such things; all who met her agreed there was never another woman so graceful, so beautiful and wise. Kyoko has often been told how much she resembles mother at that age, so she really throws herself into her role, determined to make the best of what she has been offered in life".

There was a quiet sorrow and bitterness in Koichi's voice the other residents weren't used to.

"So when that just happened", Motoko said, looking at where the empty punch bowl now lay, "and Kyoko-chan couldn't find it within herself to face the situation with dignity…".

"She felt that she had failed to live up to the mother's standard, placed on her by others but carried by herself", Koichi finished for her.

It was the unspoken consensus that the party was over. The residents of the Hinata Sou cleaned up what they were able in a solemn silence, wondering if more good or harm had been done that night.

* * *

Shinobu pause outside of Kyoko's room. She could hear the other girl sobbing inside, and didn't know whether or not to intrude. 

She softly slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it and looking upon the crying girl inside.

Kyoko was sitting on her futon, facing away from the door, and did not appear to have heard Shinobu enter.

The blue haired girl couldn't find words, having come this far, to comfort the other girl. She was used to being the one comforted, not the other way around, so she settled for the only thing that seemed appropriate.

Padding softly over the weeping Kyoko, she sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around her.

Kyoko stiffened and seemed as if she would pull away.

"Shhh, it's ok", Shinobu crooned, shifting to accommodate the grey eyed girl as she turned around to return the hug, crying softly onto Shinobu's shoulder.

"I failed her, I failed mother", she heard the other girl whimper, only able to make gentle, comforting noises in return as she didn't know what Kyoko was referring to.

"I disgraced myself, and now no one will like me", Kyoko continued to cry.

"That's not true", Shinobu reassured her sobbing charge, hugging her a little tighter, "Everyone makes a few mistakes when they get drunk, it's not you're fault, no one will think any less of you. I don't".

"Really?", came the weak and disbelieving reply.

"Really".

The sobs gently faded, but the hug remained.

"….Arigato…Shinobu-san".

Shinobu smiled in spite of herself at the use of her first name.

"It's ok Kyoko-san, it's ok"

* * *

----Author Notes----- 

Yay, another chapter down, and quite a challenging one to write, Kyoko was surprisingly hard to get down foer this chapter, hope you all enjoyed it.

Sorry for the late, for me at least, posting, lazy author syndrome followed by writers block


	5. Chapter 4: Fragile Equilibrium

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and support thus far, it means a lot guys

Chapter Four: Fragile Equilibrium

One need only look upon the residents of the Hinata Sou the following morning to know something was amiss.

There was a tense silence that always oppressed any form of conversation around the table whenever something occurred that weight heavily on all those present.

In this case everyone's minds were on the one person absent for the morbid gathering, Kyoko Sagura.

Each of those assembled had their own private thoughts, wondering if maybe one of them should offer to go collect the reserved young woman from her room or leave her to her own devices.

Only Koichi didn't seem indecisive, after telling everyone to: "Leave her be", he had tackled his breakfast, only his reduced pace showing that he wasn't as disinterested as he was letting on.

Shinobu looked at the newly set place, devoid of its occupant and fidgeted with her folded apron beneath the table. She cast a look around the others who kept glancing at the door with open worry.

They had told her what Koichi had told them after she had returned from comforting a distraught Kyoko the previous night. The blue haired girl now couldn't help but wonder if her words had been anywhere near enough. She had no idea what that would be like, held up to the image of someone you would never meet.

She recalled the previous evening, holding the sobbing Kyoko until she had cried herself out and then until she had fallen asleep. She had wondered if this was what it was like for her friends when they had done the same for her.

The room seemed to go quieter if that was possible, or maybe Shinobu was just picking up on some unspoken shift in attention.

Either way she looked up.

Kyoko stood nervously in the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her, and her eyes barely meeting those of the others gathered.

"Good morning", she said, her voice hardly a whisper, long bangs of black hair hiding most of her face from view.

When no one spoke she took a slow half-step back, as if contemplating running back to her room and locking the door.

Shinobu stood hastily, jogging round to the other girl with a forcibly cheery smile on her face.

"Good morning Kyoko-san", the blue haired girl said, lightly taking her shoulders and steering her away from the door to her seat next to her brother, "I'll bring your breakfast out in a minute".

Kyoko mumbled a thank you and looked around at the others as if expecting them to breakout into a round of derisive laughter at any moment.

Shinobu smiled and gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before padding off back into the kitchen.

Kyoko kept her head bowed to hide the inquisitive glances of the residents from view, concealing herself behind her hair.

"You ok brat?", she heard her brother ask, his voice so low she wasn't sure she heard it.

She peered carefully out from behind the raven curtain that hid her face, at Koichi. He was carefully eating a small bowl of rice, looking for all the world as if he had never spoken.

He gave her a half glance that confirmed that he had indeed spoken and she replied with a fractional nod and a weak grin.

He smiled lopsidedly back at her and as if by some unspoken signal the others began eating, chatting lightly amongst themselves.

_They're not commenting on last night_, she thought, risking a glance upward, finding no stern, or disapproving glares focused on her.

Su looked up from the meal she was all but inhaling and smiled happily at the dark haired girl before returning to what was left of her food.

_They're not making light of me…why?_

"I…", she felt her voice fail her as everyone's gaze settled on her, "I…"

"It's ok Kyoko-chan", Motoko spoke up from the other side of Koichi, "Take your time".

Kyoko smiled to the older woman in thanks and sat up a little straighter, drawing on her training to quell her nerves.

"I would like to apologise for my conduct last night…It was unseemly at best"

"Don't worry about it", Kitsune said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I've done much more impressive stuns when tanked than that".

"That's certainly true", Naru put in slyly, laughing at the look of mock hurt her best friend affected.

"Oh, now it's on missy, shall we talk about what happened last time _you_ got drunk?"

Keitaro looked at his fiancé curiously as she turned a bright shade of red and shouted, "Don't you dare!", at the smirking Kitsune.

"You shouldn't tease others like that Kitsune", Motoko spoke up disapprovingly though she was obviously fighting down her curiosity.

"Why, what will you do if I don't stop? Sing?"

It was Motoko's turn to colour and she glared angrily at the fox girl.

Soon the table had devolved into a series of conversations and good natured laughter as Kitsune told stories about both her own drunk exploits and those of the other house members.

Kyoko was taken aback by the open and jovial atmosphere.

_They're really not judging me…they're going out of their way to make me feel welcome and accepted_.

Looking around at the semi-tamed chaos, Kyoko couldn't help but smile. Koichi had been right after all. This place _wasn't_ anything like back home.

Kyoko wondered what it would be like to live in a place like this like her brother did.

"Careful there brat", Koichi said, leaning over and elbowing her, his face a parody of seriousness, "You just cracked a smile".

Kyoko glowered darkly at her brother, but it didn't affect the happiness she felt inside.

He laughed at her reproving scowl and went back to watching the banter between the others.

When Shinobu re-emerged from the kitchen it was like stumbling into the twilight zone.

When she had left the dining area had resembled a wake. Now everyone was joking and laughing like they would on a normal day. There was even a small verbal fight going on between Motoko and Kitsune.

She turned her attention back to Kyoko. The grey-eyed girl no longer stared down at her lap, but was smiling softly, taking in the pleasant ambience with obvious relish.

Shinobu felt the corners of her own mouth tugged upward, it was nice to see the other girl smiling for a change.

She carried Kyoko's tray over to her, placing it down and smiling brightly as the other girl expressed her thanks.

"Are you feeling better this morning Kyoko-san?", Shinobu asked quietly.

"Yes… thank you, for everything Shinobu-san".

The sudden break in conversation, brought both girls heads up and they both looked around uncertainly at all the enquiring faces.

"Is something wrong?", Kyoko asked.

Su voiced everyone's collective thought; "You just called Shinobu by her first name".

The dark haired girl merely raised an eyebrow, while Shinobu seemed to be growing increasingly uncomfortable with all of the sudden attention.

"And?"

No one answered straight away, unable to say why it came as such a shock to hear her refer to someone in an informal, mostly at least, manner.

Koichi chuckled, "I think they're just surprised that you have it in you to be friendly toward someone".

Kyoko glanced over the faces of those gathered, her brother's statement confirmed by noting their expressions.

That just wouldn't do.

Kyoko sipped at the tea provided for her by her new friend, nodding her thanks as she contemplated the situation. Something would need to be done to show these people that she did indeed appreciate their kindness.

* * *

Su narrowed her eyes, tapping the one of the buttons on the headpiece she wore, causing the tube like protrusions on her work goggles to slide forward with a faint mechanical _whir_ and _click_, bringing the circuit board's minute details into fine focus.

_Ah-ha!_, there was the problem. When the board had over heated the solder on two of the CPU's connector legs had melted and fused, creating a pathway where there shouldn't have been one.

That would probably explain why her latest _Mech-tama_ had begun walking backwards all of a sudden and responding to her commands with random actions.

The blond haired genius groped blindly for the soldering iron she knew was somewhere nearby, apparently oblivious to the threat the red hot device posed to her exposed flesh as her hand inched ever closer.

The questing extremity began to send frantic warnings back to the girl's distracted brain, which, much to said extremity's alarm, informed it that Su was busy right now, and would it care to leave a message?

"Huh?", Su looked at the heavily magnified patch of soil where she was sure she had left the tool, her hand encountering only dirt.

She looked up and the world seemed to go grey.

Su tapped the switch on the other side of the goggles and the magnifying tubes telescoped inward fast enough to momentarily knock her head back.

"Owie", the Mol-Molian girl complained, rubbing her face as she removed the goggles.

"Are you ok Su-san?", a female voice asked and Su blinked a few times to clear her vision before looking up at the speaker.

Kyoko frowned down at the other girl, but it was more a look of concern than annoyance.

"Oh, I'm fine", Su replied cheerfully, wondering why Kyoko had come into her room, "Is it lunch time already? Have you seen my soldering iron?".

Kyoko smiled slightly, "No and yes, is this it?".

The dark haired girl held up the tool, careful not to touch any part of the metal.

"You were about to burn yourself", Kyoko added, handing it over and watching as Su went back to work.

"Do you need any help?"

Su looked at her strangely for a moment before shrugging and smiling, "Sure. Pass me that round silver thing over there".

Kyoko followed her pointing finger to the object in question. It vaguely resembled a turtle's head but on a larger scale, and this reptile boasted an impressive set of razor sharp, steel teeth.

The younger Sagura sibling hefted the considerable weight of the head and eyed it dubiously.

"Su-san…what is this?"

"It's the head for my latest _Mech-tama_", the other girl replied in a matter of fact tone, without looking up from the circuit board she was inspecting, "This one will have five times the destructive power of its nearest cousin!".

"…I see", was all Kyoko could think to say after that rather cheerful proclamation, handing the head over without another word.

She squatted down next to the tanned girl, careful not to let her kimono touch the soil that seemed to cover the other girls room, but low enough that she could pass tools from a nearby pile as they were requested.

For the next hour or so she they worked in relative silence, Su occasionally verbalising her reasoning for doing this or that, but Kyoko lacked even a basic understanding of mechanics or electronics in most cases. They had not been part of her upbringing and thus everything the girl genius told her was completely new, and intriguing if somewhat confusing to follow at times.

Kyoko was watching one of the trees in Su's room. She could have sworn she saw something move in it.

"Here"

Kyoko looked down at the casing and screwdriver that had been pressed into her hands.

"It's part of _mecha-tama­_'s left arm", Su explained seeing her confusion, "I need you to unscrew that outer shell for me while I finish making some software upgrades, ok?".

Kyoko, nodded, gripping the screwdriver in her slender hand and placing it against the closest screw as she had watched Su do before, and twisted it slowly.

The screw turned. Not a miracle by any stretch of the imagination, but to someone who has never before partaken in manual labour of any sort, quite astounding.

Su nodded and turned back to her own task.

Kyoko allowed herself to get seated more comfortably and got to work.

* * *

Kitsune did a double take when Kyoko walked through the door of the Hinata teahouse.

The young girl had only come in here once before, and that had apparently been to grill Motoko about how far her relationship with Koichi had progressed, something the fox girl was eternally sorry to have missed.

In the week she had been here, the youngest Sagura hadn't ventured out of her room for much more than meals or to talk with her brother. So it wasn't really a great leap of the imagination to think that she had some reason for being here other than to drink tea, and as Kitsune and Mutsumi were the only people here she knew…there was a fifty-fifty chance of being singled out for something or other.

Kitsune hadn't forgotten that it was she who got Kyoko drunk the previous night, and she doubted the younger girl had either.

There was a startled yelp and she looked down to find that she had poured the scolding hot tea over her customer's hand rather than into his cup.

She murmured an apology while he ranted on about something or other, using words like "Sue" and "Lawsuit" that she probably should have been paying more attention to.

She gave him one of her best _melt in your mouth_, smiles and turned back to locate Kyoko.

The dark haired girl was looking around and appeared to have just spotted her. She gave an infinitely small smile and began walking toward her.

Kitsune briefly considered running.

"Hello Konno-san", the smaller girl said with a bow.

"Hey", Kistune responded, still irked despite herself with the use of her last name rather than the nickname she was accustomed to, "If you find a table I'll be with you in a second".

Kyoko shuck her head slowly and Kitsune braced herself for the worst.

"That won't be necessary, I wanted to know if you required any assistance?"

Kitsune opened her mouth to deny having done anything on purpose and defy the other girl to prove her wrong when the words finally penetrated.

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"I want to know if you need any help", Kyoko repeated.

"Er, sure, I guess", Kitsune said brushing a lock of stray hair away from her face, "I don't know if I could pay you or anything though".

"That's ok", Kyoko reassured her, "I am simply repaying the kindness shown to me here at the Hinata Sou, I am not seeking monetary gain".

Kitsune had to restrain the part of her that rebelled at the very idea of that last statement and shrugged.

"Fine by me honey, come on I'll show you the ropes".

* * *

Kyoko was introduced to Mutsumi after helping revive her when she was found passed out in the back room. Kyoko was surprised to learn that a woman of such frail health was not only employed here but all a student at Tokyo University, as well as living away from home by herself.

It was a remarkable display of character and independence.

When Kyoko had voiced that opinion, Mutsumi had told her that was very sweet of her and promptly kissed her.

A laughing Kitsune and told the flustered girl that Mutsumi did that sort of thing a lot, so there was no need to panic.

They had given her an old apron and taught her the basics of being a waitress before kicking her out onto the floor to fend for herself.

"_Emersion Therapy"_, Kitsune had jokingly called it.

Kyoko stood at the centre of the room, gripping the notepad and pencil she had been given tightly and trying to figure out what to do next.

She was saved the trouble when one the customers began waving her over.

She glided swiftly to the table at which he and his shorter companion sat. The gentleman who had called her over smiling in a way he probably thought winning rather than over emphasised, and pushed his small round glasses higher up his nose, flicking a strand of mousy brown hair clear of his face with a slight toss of his head.

"Hey there cutie", he said with an attempt at charm, "I'm Haitani, and my vertically challenged companion here is Shirai".

He motioned at the darker haired young man who half glared at his friend while waving weakly at her.

"What's your name?"

"Kyoko Sagura", she said curtly raising the pad so it was in clear view, "Now, what can I get you gentlemen?".

The twinkle in his eye, coupled with the way his friend glanced at him, gave her a pretty good idea of what he was likely to say, and she mentally kicked herself for giving him the opening.

Before he spoke however, his eyes lighted on something behind her and his face was split by an almost comically wide smile.

"Mutsumi!"

Kyoko turned her head slightly as a pair of slender hands came to rest on her shoulders and a wave of chestnut hair spilled past her face as Mutsumi leaned over to great the two lecherous customers.

"Hi boys! Ara I thought you two were supposed to be at work today?"

Kyoko looked over her shoulder an noticed Kitsune gesturing her over to the counter.

She slipped out of the older woman's grasp, noting with interest how both mens' attention was now fully on her, as the one called Haitani answered her question and his companion tried to hide his shy expression.

"I guess I should have warned you about those two", Kitsune said from where she was leaning against the counter, "But they usually don't drop by today".

Kyoko looked back, finding that Mutsumi was now seated at the table with the two men, laughing at something one of them had said or done.

"Why is she being so friendly with them?", Kyoko asked, not realising she was speaking out loud, "They don't strike me as particularly trustworthy individuals".

Kitsune shrugged a little.

"She says that they're really nice boys when they're not trying so hard", Kitsune leaned over to mock whisper to the younger girl, "Personally I think she just likes all the attention".

Kyoko carefully hid a smile behind the sleeve of her kimono. The tone of the older woman's voice made it clear she was only joking but it was still funny.

"Table waiting", the fox girl pointed out.

Kyoko nodded and hurried over. Today seemed to be working out nicely.

* * *

Kyoko slid the front door of the Hinata Sou closed and gratefully kicked off her sandals, changing into a comfortable pair of house slippers.

Who knew that simply walking a few meters back and forth would be so trying on the feet?

She could hear the faint hum that meant Shinobu was in the kitchen again and allowed her weary feet to carry her to its source.

She found Shinobu busy over a frying pan, monitoring the progress of what, by the smell, must have been Okonomiyaki, the strips of fried meat filling the air with a wonderful aroma that reminded Kyoko that she hadn't eaten lunch, having gone directly from Su's room to the teahouse.

Her stomach gave a low growl and she glanced down in shock and embarrassment, looking back up to find Shinobu holding the spatula and chopsticks she was using to prepare the meal in one hand, using the other to cover her smile.

"Hello", Kyoko said, moving to stand a little way over form the blue haired girl as if nothing had occurred.

"Hello Kyoko-san", Shinobu said, returning to her preparations, taking a pinch of some red powder out of a small container and sprinkling it over the contents of the frying pan, "Where were you at lunch today? Su said you were with her earlier".

"I went to assist Konno-san and Otohime-san at the teahouse", Kyoko replied, trying unsuccessfully to keep her eyes of the pan.

"I see", Shinobu's mouth was straining to prevent the smile that wanted to break out every time she saw Kyoko's eyes twitch in the direction of the Okonomiyaki.

"All that work must have, made you hungry"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow and Shinobu had to work hard to stifle a giggle.

Then the grey eyed girl's stomach decided to voice its own opinion on the matter.

Even though she knew she shouldn't, Shinobu couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles at the look of shear mortification on Kyoko's face as her body betrayed her.

"I fail to see what's so funny", Kyoko said icily, but it only made it harder to stop laughing.

When her laughter was back under control, Shinobu wiped away a tear and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry Kyoko-san, I truly am, but it's hard to picture you and picture your tummy rumbling like that".

Shinobu made a few deft slices with her spatula, scooping up the small portion she had cut which her chopsticks and blowing on it carefully, "Here we go, I'll let you have some before dinner seeing as how you're so hungry. Just don't tell Su".

Kyoko eyed the chopsticks with a look that clearly said _"Are you mad?"_.

"Oh don't be such a baby", Shinobu chided, holding the food up for her, "Now say, ahhh".

Kyoko glared at her for a moment, but gave in when her stomach threatened another act of rebellion.

She opened her mouth and allowed the other girl to deposit the morsel. Kyoko chewed slowly, closing her eyes savouring the taste and the delicate spices that suffused the meat, marvelling once more over how anyone could make something like this.

"_Ahem_"

Kyoko's eyes popped open. Motoko was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at them oddly.

Kyoko found herself strangely unable to meet the older woman's gaze, and a quick glance showed Shinobu seemed to be having similar difficulties.

_How humiliating, she saw me being fed like an invalid_, Kyoko mentally cringed at the thought.

"I was just wondering when dinner will be ready", Motoko said, still giving them a strange look.

"It should only be a few more minutes Motoko-sempai", the younger girl replied, busying herself with the last of her preparations.

Motoko nodded as she left, throwing Kyoko one last curious stare.

"Well…", Kyoko said after a moment, "…That was certainly interesting".

"… I guess…You know I only just realised it's been a whole week or so since you got here Kyoko-san", Shinobu said, rather grindingly shifting topic.

The dark haired girl's head froze mid-nod.

_A whole week already! But that means…oh no._

"Shinobu-san, where is my brother"

"I don't know", Shinobu said, noticing the worry in the other girl's usually calm voice, "He might be up on the roof again I think, why?"

"We must find him immediately!", Kyoko spoke urgently, grabbing Shinobu's arm before she could protest and dragging her along.

Her mind drowned out Shinobu's protests and she made her way swiftly toward the roof.

_Please let me not be to late_.

* * *

Koichi yawned and stretched, shifting his weight around on the roof to return circulation to parts of his extremities that had long since gone numb.

It was the perfect day for lying under the sun and letting the world drift by. The fact that Koichi saw any day like this in no way detracted from the blissful simplicity of this moment.

He allowed his eyes to drift closed, his breathing coming closer to the pattern of sleep.

A sudden shadow dropped over him, blocking the pleasant warmth of the sun on his skin and making him growl with irritation.

"Whoever's blocking my rays better have a damn good rea…", he trailed off as he opened his eyes, finding himself staring into another set of sea grey orbs, framed by unruly shocks of flame red hair, and a cruel smirk.

"You!"

* * *

Motoko had just gathered her bokken and katana, intent on exercising some of Koichi's chronic laziness out of him, when she heard the shout.

"You!"

It was followed by a loud crash from the direction of the laundry annex and the muffled sounds of fighting.

Motoko grasped the hilt of the _Hina_ as she ran, skidding to a stop at the stairs to the annex and leaping up them in a single bound.

As she touched down, she noticed Koichi standing alone in the middle of the deck, legs set wide, right arm held with the fist inline with his face, elbow down, the left bend at his side, fist over his kidney.

His face was tense and serious and his eyes scanning the area slowly, the grey orbs seeming to reflect the light around him like they were made of glass.

He spotted Motoko and his eyes went wide, "Kuso! Motoko get out of here, now!"

Before she could ask why, she felt a surge of Ki.

_This pattern…so familiar, but why?_

She got her answer seconds later, when a man garbed in tight fitting black and white robes, with flame red hair and a condescending smile, blurred into view behind Koichi.

Motoko was stunned, that technique was supposed to be something only a member of the _Oni's Bane_ school knew, so why was this person attacking Koichi?

The mystery assailant levelled a powerful kick at her fiancé's head, but Koichi was already gone in a blur of his own.

Motoko had seen enough to know that she didn't want this man around Koichi any longer.

"_Rock Splitting Sword!"_, she yelled, whipping the _Hina_ free of its scabbard and unleashing a wave of spiritual energy.

The red head smirked at her as he blurred, reappearing a few feet away from where the strike impacted at his previous position.

"Ms. Aoyama I presume, charmed I'm sure, now why don't you put that down before you hurt yourself".

The pure contempt in his voice made Motoko's blood boil, how dare he talk to the heir to the _Gods Cry_ school in such a manner!

Koichi reappeared behind him, snapping out a punch which the other man barely avoided, twisting around it an striking with the edge of his hand only to be blocked by Koichi.

Koichi brought his knee up toward his opponents gut, stunning him as the air was forced from his body and following up with a roundhouse kick to his face that sent him skidding to a halt against the banister.

The red head was on his feet again in seconds, seemingly un-phased although his expression was much darker.

"Oh I did hope I'd get chance to do this", he said cryptically, raising his hand across his body as if preparing a knife edge strike that there was no way he could land across such a distance, "Let us see what they all think of you now Koichi…_Serpent's Strike!_"

Motoko saw the surprise on Koichi's face as his foe slashed at the air viciously, his hand releasing a wave of Ki shaped like some terrible snake toward him.

Her hand was on the bokken at her side and hauling it free long before she remembered acting.

"Koichi!", she shouted, hurling the weapon toward him.

He caught it and drove it point first toward the ground, "_Soul Mirror!_"

The spiritual power of his opponent rebounded as if it had struck an invisible wall and Motoko had the satisfaction of seeing the other man's look of smug superiority vanish as he was forced to leap clear of his own attack as it screamed by, tearing through the banister he had been standing by like wet tissue paper.

He glared at the hole in the banister and turned back to find himself faced with the tips of both Koichi and Motoko's blades.

"Oni-san! Wait!"

Motoko glanced over her shoulder to find a very out of breath looking Kyoko and Shinobu standing at the head of the annex stairs.

"Nicely timed little cousin", the red head said.

"Cousin?", Motoko said, looking over at Koichi who nodded roughly.

"They didn't tell you about me? _Tsk tsk_ Kyoko-chan, don't tell me you forgot to tell big brother I was coming", his voice was dripping with poorly concealed contempt.

"Who are you?", Motoko asked.

"My name is Akira Sagura, first born son of Koichi and Kyoko's uncle though it is really none of your business _woman_".

Motoko moved her blade closer to his neck warningly.

"Why are you here Akira", Koichi said, his tone and eyes radiating danger in a way Motoko had never seen before, "I know Uncle wouldn't trust you with anything, he knows you for the pond scum you are, but father wouldn't hesitate, out with it!".

Akira glared angrily at his cousin, "You're father demands an audience with you and your…bride. I have been sent to retrieve you, and before you think it, there is no use running, I'm not the only one, even _you_ can't fight an entire school cousin".

Koichi's eyes could have melted steel at that point, but Akira merely smirked at him.

"The whelp was sent to keep an eye on you until everything was ready, make sure you didn't catch wind of us and flee, I think she did quiet well, don't you cousin?"

"You know that's not why I'm here Akira!", Kyoko shouted at him, a rare display of emotion.

"If that is what you wish to tell everyone Kyoko-chan", he replied, smiling snake-like at the younger girl.

His laugh was cut off as Koichi whipped the bokken across his face, hard and stalked away.

"Oni-san…", Kyoko pleaded as he breezed past her without a word.

Kyoko flinched at the look Motoko gave her as she followed him.

She watched them leave without another word, her gaze finally falling on Shinobu. The blue haired girl's eyes were full of disappointment, as she sadly turned away and vanished from sight.

Kyoko could feel the sting of tears threatening to pour from her eyes as a cruel voice echoed up from behind her.

"Was it something I said?".

* * *

---Author Notes---

Fragile indeed, what does this mean for Kyoko and what of Motoko and Koichi, what awaits them at the hands of his father, will they be strong enough to survive it? Or will they to break like glass?

Find out in the next chapter: Chapter Five: Father

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	6. Chapter 5: Father

Chapter Five: Father

Motoko frowned as Koichi all but ripped the door to his room off its hinges. He hadn't spoken since leaving the laundry annex and his Ki, usually hidden from casual observation, flared angrily, as if warning anyone who should think to approach him.

Motoko was not intimidated by his display. She herself held far more raw power than he was putting out at that moment, but that didn't mean she wasn't concerned for him.

His anger, she knew, was about more than the prospect of being forced to return home with her to see his father, a man less than approving of his approaching union to the heir of the _Gods Cry_ school. This was something more personal. He felt betrayed by his younger sister, although Motoko could now see, in hindsight, that the younger Sagura had been telling the truth. No one could fake such sadness; Motoko had merely been to caught up in the moment to notice at the time.

Koichi would probably come to realise this too eventually, but now certainly wasn't the time to bring it up.

She folded her arms and waited as he paced around the room aimlessly like an caged animal, or a small child in the midst of a fit.

"Bastard!", he shouted, driving his fist through the small table in the centre of his room. Motoko kept her face impassive and watched as he continued to stalk around the small room.

Gradually his anger receded, no longer visible on his face, but simmering behind sea grey eyes, like a volcano waiting to blow.

He dropped roughly to the ground, resting his back against the wall, the bokken he had been holding discarded at his side.

She wordlessly took a seat over from him, legs folded and the _Hina_ laying across her knees. Motoko watched him, looking for some signs of what was going on in her fiancé's mind.

"I just can't believe it", he said, his voice barely audible and tightly controlled, "I can't believe she'd help him".

There was no need to ask who 'she' referred to.

"I know she's always been the perfect daughter to him…but something this important to me…"

"I think you may be reading more into this than is there", Motoko spoke up, challenging his own stare with one of her own when he looked up angrily at her, "You're basing your assumptions on the words of your cousin…He doesn't seem like a particularly honourable man to me".

Koichi snorted a reply and rested his head back against the wall.

"That much is true", he said with weak smirk, "I wasn't joking when I called him slime Motoko".

"Then, isn't it possible he was lying?"

Koichi looked at her for a moment before turning away without answering.

His expression however was now thoughtful rather than angry, and his brow would crinkle every now and again as if he were deep in thought.

"So what do we do now", Motoko asked, growing impatient with his brooding.

Koichi sighed and slumped a little where he sat, looking at her through eyes practically hidden by black bangs.

"Not much we can do, no matter what else he may have said, Akira probably wasn't lying about there being others out there ready to bring me in if I try to refuse seeing the old man. It's just the kind of over the top stunt he'd pull to get his way"

Motoko digested this as he stood and moved over to his closet, opening it and taking out an empty duffle bag and stuffing it with the first clothes that came to hand.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?", he replied pulling the drawstring taut and reaching for something at the back of the alcove, "No time like the present, I may as well get this over with".

"What do you mean 'I'", she asked suspiciously as he retrieved what he had been searching for, the bokken Motoko had given him as a gift.

"Just what I say", he replied, not meeting her gaze as he started toward the door, bag over one shoulder and bokken in hand, "There's no need for you to come with me. I'll go straighten this thing out and be back before- Ow! Hey!".

Koichi looked at the hand holding onto his ear incredulously and back up to its owner, "Hey that hurts already! Let go!".

Motoko twisted her grip a little and leaned in, "'_I'll take care of this_'?", she asked, her voice low and dangerous, "'_There's no need for you to come with me_'?".

She tightened her grip with each word, "I'm not some frail little girl Koichi Sagura, no matter what your cousin seems to think. This concerns both of us, so you may dispense with the macho façade before I'm force to beat it out of you. I'm coming, is that clear?".

She released his ear and stood back as he rubbed at it, glaring at her, "You know, you could have just said you wanted to come".

"Perhaps, but this was faster, and besides", she said quoting him, "Where's the fun in that".

"Ha-ha, I'm engaged to a comedian", he groused, unable to stop a small grin forming on his face, "Fine, you want to come I won't stop you, even if I could, but remember, this isn't tea and rice-cakes with the in-laws Motoko, not with my old man involved. Just be careful and don't question what I tell you, I don't want to loose you".

"You won't", she reassured him.

"Maybe…my family changes people Motoko…there are many ways to die, and not al of them leave a corpse".

Motoko felt an involuntary shudder run up her spine at the cold look in his eyes.

"Come on, you need to pack".

* * *

Koichi was waiting outside like he promised when Motoko emerged, dressed in the traditional robes over her school, the _Hina_ belted at her right hip and the _Sword of Two Souls_, at her left. 

When she noticed Koichi's enquiring expression she shrugged and said, "I mean to show them who I am at a glance, Koichi Sagura's intended and not a woman to be taken lightly".

Koichi couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across his face like it did every time Motoko made a proclamation like that.

"Rock on", he said giving her the thumbs up and receiving a swat on the shoulder as per their unspoken agreement.

"Besides", she added, her tone grave and her hand unconsciously brushing the hilt of the _Sword of Two Souls_, "The way you speak of your home, we may need the power of this sword again".

The dark haired man frowned at the legendary blade of his family, unsure how to tell Motoko that there were some threats a blade could not protect you from.

"Lets hope not", he opted to say instead, no point starting this little trip on a worse note than it was already.

* * *

"Do you ever get the overwhelming sense of déjà vu living around here", Koichi asked Motoko as they emerged from the Hinata Sou. 

"All the time", Motoko responded fondly as she observed the sight in front of them.

Gathered in the courtyard, much like before his battle with Tsuruko, were the other residents of the Hinata house. Plus or minus a few anyway. Keitaro and Naru were nowhere to be seen and standing next to Kitsune looking mildly annoyed with all the cheering and fanfare in his light blue business suit, was a man with light brown hair, previously introduced about a month ago as Kentaro Sakata, son of one of Japan's richer families.

Also strangely enough, one of Kitsune's more recent drinking buddies, probably due to the fact that after a few rounds he would and could by her pretty much anything she wanted without regretting it afterwards or even noticing the missing cash in some cases.

Shinobu and Su were sitting on a pile of bags the later waving at him happily and the former playing with the hem of her yellow summer dress uncertainly.

A little way over from the main group stood Akira, his semi-permanent sneer in place as he looked over at the others, he arms folded, spiky red hair shifting slightly in the breeze.

The only thing that marred his visage of icy contempt was the purple swelling on one side of his face where Koichi had struck him with the bokken.

He grimaced a little at that memory. Sure Akira deserved it, and sure Koichi had been pretty angry, but it wasn't like him to strike a defeated foe like that.

Koichi felt his mood blackening. Even from so far away, his father was affecting his behaviour and judgement.

He snapped out of it when he felt Motoko shake his shoulder, nodding in the direction of the others.

Kitsune was sundering over, apparently the elected spokesperson of this little gathering, presumably come to give them all the best wishes of the group before they left.

"Bout time you two showed up, we've been ready for ages", she said gesturing to the rest of the residents.

"Ready? Ready for what?", Motoko beat Koichi to asking.

"Why, for this little road trip to see Koichi's folks of course", the fox girl replied as if it should have been obvious.

Koichi marvelled at how the human brain could make you think you'd heard the strangest things at times.

"Sorry", he said with a small chuckle, "For a moment there I thought you said you were all coming with us".

"That's the plan sugar", she replied with a wink.

Koichi just starred at her till her smile faded and she began to shift uncomfortably.

"Come again".

"We all thought we'd tag along…things have been a little dull around here lately and er…", she trailed off under Koichi's expression.

"Kitsune, this isn't a vacation, besides, my family's ancestral home is all the way out in Sendai, just how were you all planning to 'tag along' that far? I doubt Akira brought anything big enough to transport anyone else but himself, me, Motoko and Kyoko".

Her expression brightened again, "If that's your only worry then no need to fret honey, we have it all worked out…Isn't that right Kentaro!".

The man in the blue suit whined audibly and walked over, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his fingers with a '_Why me?_' expression.

He let out a strangled yelp when Kitsune grabbed him around the neck one armed, "Kentaro here kindly offered to lend us the use of one of his luxury travel homes for the trip, and even offered to drive for us!".

"I did no such thing Kitsune", he choked, tugging at her arm with both of his own, "You called in an old gambling debt and blackmailed me with it!"

"Blackmailed, volunteered, it's all the same", she replied with an indifferent shrug.

Koichi was privately glad he had never gotten into debt with Kitsune before.

Koichi opened his mouth to tell her in no uncertain terms that it didn't matter when a new voice spoke up from behind him.

"I'd suggest you take them with you Oni-san".

Koichi looked casually over his shoulder at where Kyoko stood behind him and Motoko, her head bowed slightly so that she wasn't meeting his gaze, a gesture of supplication.

"Kyoko-", he began firmly.

"You'll need all the help you can get Oni-san… you know that as well as I. The more allies you have when you face father, the greater your chances of success".

Koichi sighed. He could argue with her reasoning, no matter what he may privately wish the brat was right.

"I suppose you had a hand in this", he said, glancing at the assembled residents. It was a statement, not a question.

"…I may have mentioned something to Konno-san", she admitted guiltily, seeming to flinch a little as she heard him sigh again.

"Fine, whatever, you can all tag along if you want, but no one wonders off alone when we get there, and everyone on their best behaviour, ok? That goes double for you Su!", he shouted toward where Shinobu and Su sat.

Kaolla pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at him.

_Yeah…this is gonna be fun_, he thought sarcastically, praying to the gods that Kyoko had at least briefed them on what they could expect, or was planning to during the long trip ahead.

He watched as Kitsune returned to the group, dragging Kentaro along with her despite his protests, Kyoko following them at a distance, seeming to dither for a second before moving to stand over by them instead of Shinobu or Su.

Koichi hefted his and Motoko's bags, motioning that it was time to leave before walking over to where Akira stood, sneering at the backs of the departing housemates.

"Oh how touching", he said sarcastically, "You're bringing along a cheering section, for all the good it'll do you".

"Purple suits you", Koichi snapped back, giving him a hard grey-eyed stare.

Akira rubbed at the tender flesh of his face and sketched a mocking bow, before turning on his heel and striding off without another word.

"Are you sure we should go with _him_", Motoko asked quietly from his side as they followed the arrogant redhead.

"No", Koichi replied honestly, "But this will probably be faster than any other method, and it means I know where the little snake is the whole time".

Motoko tipped her head to acknowledge the last. Still, she couldn't help but feel that something in the near future was about to go drastically wrong.

* * *

"I call shotgun!", Su yelled enthusiastically, breaking the quiet awe that had descended on the group when they caught sight of the vehicle Kitsune had conned out of Kentaro. 

About the same size as your average coach but slightly taller, of was painted in a glossy chrome black with blue tinted windows, the name _Sakata_, emblazoned along the sides.

There were a number of antenna and radio dishes protruding from the top near to the rear of the vehicle that Kentaro had informed them were for the numerous GPS and Tv pickups the luxury mobile home sported.

In short, it was an impressive sight, and he hadn't even opened it yet.

Pulling a small palm top out of his pocket, the billionaire son tapped a quick command into the touchscreen display and the centre of the bus folded inward with a faint _hiss_ of hydraulics, and a set of stairs telescoped down to admit entrance.

"To cool", Su murmured appreciatively and Kentaro smiled wanly, gesturing for them all to hurry up and board.

"Lets move this along shall we", he said in a pleasant but tired sounding voice.

Su was of course the first on up the stairs, followed by a slightly intimidated Shinobu and finally Kitsune.

Kentaro had place a foot on the first step when he realised that there was someone else waiting quietly by the transport.

He looked curiously at the dark haired girl, staring alternatively between the doorway and the small, rather aged motorcar that Motoko, her fiancé and her fiancé's cousin were climbing into.

She seemed indecisive, as if unsure what to do next.

"Can I help you miss?", he ventured, breaking her contemplation.

Kyoko looked up uncertainly for a moment, almost as if she would shake her head. There was a _rev_ and the other car began to pull away.

"Please, we must get going if we don't want to loose them", he said guessing the reason for her indecision.

She nodded once and climbed past him, looking around the interior of the vehicle first before ascending the last of the steps, almost as if she were afraid of something but trying not to show it.

He followed inside and tapped in another command, sealing the door again and making his way forward.

He sweat-dropped as he passed by Kitsune, kneeling in front of the bus' well-stocked mini-bar as if in prayer. He was sure for a second that she was crying with joy.

* * *

Kyoko jumped a little as the doors slid shut behind her, sealing her into this strange contraption without even a seam to prove there had once been a door there. 

Kyoko had never ridden in an automobile until recently, when she had been cropped off at the Hinata Sou.

Having lived her whole life at the Sagura's ancestral home in the midst of a plethora of tradition, modern convinces had been few and far between, and those used were rarely anything to do with her and her expected duties. Thus she had a mild distrust of automobiles that her previously shown curiosity with Su's inventions and work could not erase. It just didn't feel right to know you were locked inside a steel box, hurtling along at speeds no humanly possible, a series of miniature explosions powering your movement.

Beginning to feel slightly nauseous, Kyoko looked around the interior to take her mind of such thoughts. It resembled the room of a house in many ways. A thick, royal blue carpet covered the floor, the walls were a dark red, interesting lighting effects provided by a number of strategically placed lamps to make up for the lack of natural light admitted by the tinted windows. There was even a small kitchen and living area as well as a number of comfy chairs.

Kitsune was crouched near a small refrigeration unit, eying several small bottles of liquor, spoiled for choice.

Kyoko winced slightly at the memory of her own introduction to alcohol and her stomach gave another lurch. An unnecessary warning against imbuing anything today.

Shinobu and Su were seated on one of the nearby sets of chairs, looking around and pointing things out to each other animatedly.

Shinobu caught sight of her, standing near the entrance and looked away quickly.

Kyoko felt something twist in her gut, and it wasn't her stomach this time. She had been reminded that thanks to her cousin, she was now under suspicion by the people she had wanted to call friends.

This was not a new experience, but it was sad to know she couldn't escape her family's legacy, even here.

The dark-haired girl silently took a seat near the front of the vehicle and restrained the urge to yelp as the bus gave a shudder beneath her and began to rumble.

"Everyone take a seat while we get under way please", Kentaro's voice echoed from the front as the transport pulled away, accelerating smoothly as it moved into the non-existent traffic around the Hinata Sou.

Kitsune cursed as she almost dropped the bottles she was carrying on her way up to the front of the bus, staggering dangerously before regaining her balance.

There was a _swish_ as she opened the door to the driver's compartment and stepped inside, allowing the door to close itself behind her.

Kyoko grasped the edge of the seat tightly as her stomach began to writhe in protest at this unscheduled motion.

She tried to distract herself by focusing on the scenery that blurred by as the transport began to pick up speed, but that only seemed to make things a whole lot worse.

She grimly closed her eyes and held onto both her chair and her lunch with equal determination, forcing herself to sit as straight as possible.

She couldn't afford to show any weakness from this point forward.

There would be no room for error once she returned home.

Lost in her thoughts, Kyoko, didn't notice when they pulled of the main streets and onto the highway bound for Sendai.

The trip was about to get a lot more interesting than she would have liked.

* * *

Koichi restrained the urge to kick the back of Akira's chair in boredom. 

The had been driving along the highway for hours now. Nothing but endless grey and evently spaced lampposts for scenery, how boring.

At least when they were nearing home there would be a little green to look at…Ok, a lot of green, endless fields of it, but that was beyond the point. Right now he was bored, and he expressed that in the only way he knew how. Playing counting games.

Using his most annoying voice he counted every lamppost they passed, half an eye on his cousin's face in the rear-view mirror, a more private game going on where he would count the number of veins standing out on Akira's face and neck.

He was treading a fine line. Not because of Akira of course, but rather due to Motoko.

She may have had a lot of patience with his antics at the Hinata Sou, but that was were she knew she could leave the room, or sock him across the room if I took it to far.

But here, in a small, rusted, overheated junk pile excuse for a car, it was beginning to wear thin on her as well.

Thus he moderated his game, pausing long enough to her to relax, but not long enough for Akira to cool down to much before starting again.

"I spy with my little eye", he had just began when the redhead finally snapped.

"Will you be quiet!", he screamed.

"Make me", Koichi answered back, winking at Motoko as she rolled her eyes at him and muttered something about making it there in one piece.

Akira turned a withering glare at his cousin's reflection.

"How is it possible that an imbecile like you could be our best student!", he exclaimed as if voicing a question he had often asked himself many a restless night.

"Pure talent", was Koichi's reply.

"Talent?", Akira snorted, his superior smirk back in place, "Feh, don't make me laugh clown, you're only rated the best because of who your father is, everyone knows that I'm the better fighter".

"Oh really?", Koichi said sounding disinterested, "Remind me who kicked who's bony little butt back at the annex?".

Akira's smirk slipped fractionally before coming back in full force, "You only won because your _woman_ came to your rescue. Without her you would have been at the mercy of my _bladeless_ technique".

The spiky haired boy glanced up at the mirror, smug triumph written all over his features, "Face it you… Are you pulling faces at me!"

"Who me?", Koichi asked innocently, watching Akira simmer with a lopsided smile, "Three words cousin, _Steel Cutting Rose_".

Akira snorted violently.

"Lies circulated by your little bitch's sister to make up for her humiliating defeat, everyone knows tha-".

Akira gasped as he felt Koichi's stiffened fingers pressed against his throat.

"Know this cousin", Koichi said in a voice that somehow filled the air without being raised above a whisper, "You may call me anything you wish, but insult the woman I love and you will pay with your life…are we clear?".

Akira gulped and managed a shaky approximation of his usual smirk.

"You really are his son after all cousin".

Koichi's grey eyes resembled steel as he spoke, "I am nothing like him".

He sat back slowly, starring out of the window to occupy his mind.

Motoko was taken aback by the sudden change in her fiancé's eyes. They had been so cold and ruthless as he had threatened to take his cousin's life. She had only seen them like that twice before. Once when he was fighting Tsuruko, and once again when Akira had attacked him earlier that day.

Could it be that there was a side of him she hadn't yet seen, something dark lurking beneath the surface?

"_My home changes people Motoko_" 

She felt a chill settle over her as his words took on a more sinister edge.

She glanced at her boyfriend and couldn't help but wonder, would this visit change him more than it already had, and if it did, would she still love the man that came out at the end.

* * *

Another hour passed without the occupants of the small car uttering a word to each other. 

Motoko starred listlessly out at the landscape, slowly fading from uniform grey, to uniform green. The change in colour at least was welcome, even if it was really only just farmland at the moment.

Up front, Akira muttered something to himself about the heat, fiddling with a number of switches on the dashboard irritably.

Motoko didn't think it was that hot, but then again not many people had her training to cope with adverse weather. Even Koichi admitted that the _Oni's Bane_ school didn't practice the skill as much as it should.

Her mouth spilt in a wide yawn.

She should have known she'd be tired by now. They'd been driving for hours without anything to keep them occupied; pretty soon it would be dark outside.

_No harm in catching a few hours sleep_, she thought as slumber began to drag her under. Slowly dulling her senses to the world around her.

Soon Motoko was fast asleep, slumped against Koichi whose own head was lolled back on the headrest, his chest rising and falling in time with his snores.

Akira looked furtively back at them.

Excellent, both asleep.

He returned the small mask he held to his face to the glove compartment and opened a window to disperse the last of the knockout gas he had rigged into the air conditioning.

Now that they were taken care of it was time to loose the peanut gallery. Uncle Kenichi had been quite insistent that he only wanted these two and Akira meant to fulfil his Uncle's wishes.

A loud snore drifted up to his ears from Koichi.

_My gods, even in his _sleep_ he's annoying!_

* * *

Kyoko was miserable. Ignored by Su and Shinobu it seemed and fighting a loosing battle with her gag reflex, she could not have wished for this moment to be worse. 

Of course, just because you haven't wished for something, doesn't mean it's not going to happen.

"What's going on?", she heard Shinobu ask.

She looked up and followed her gaze to where the car containing her cousin, brother and future sister-in-law, was changing lanes and accelerating away from them.

"I don't know", Su replied honestly, and all three girls watched as the car began to pull further and further away.

"I don't like the look of this", Shinobu said and the other two girls nodded with her assessment, "Something not right, I'm going to ask Kitsune and Kentaro what's going on".

Kyoko watched as the blue haired girl padded by before returning to her private misery.

A startled shriek broke her out of her cycle of self-pity a few moments later. It was Shinobu's voice, and it came from the driver's compartment.

Kyoko forced herself to her feet, trying not to wobble as she made her way up to the other girl.

"Shinobu-san? What is…oh dear", Kyoko's eyes widened as she got close enough to see what had upset the other girl. Kitsune was lying across the passenger seats and Kentaro was slumped across the wheel. Both were rosy cheeked. Quite drunk, and quite unconscious.

Kyoko wasn't familiar with these devices, but she knew they required an alert pilot to avoid crashing, and right now this was something they lacked.

The rational side of her mind forced down her panic as she sidestepped the frightened Shinobu.

"Konno-san, Sakata-san, can you hear me?", she said in a loud voice…no reaction from either of them.

Distinctly aware that time was of the essence, Kyoko raised a hand and roughly slapped Kitsune's face.

Still no reaction.

_Just how much did this woman drink!_

She turned her ministrations on Kentaro with similar results.

Kyoko felt an unusual calm fall over her mind as she realised the two 'responsible adults' including the driver of the vehicle, were unconscious and beyond revival.

At sixteen she had never thought much about her death, but she hadn't expected to go like this.

She gently moved Kitsune aside a little so she could sit down and starred blankly ahead, her hands folded in her lap.

"Ooooo, this doesn't look good", she heard Su say.

"Oh my god, I don't want to die", Shinobu whined, her eyes full of tears.

"What's the problem?", Su asked, sounding confused.

"Problem!", Shinobu almost screamed, "We don't have a driver!".

"Course we do, one of us can do it"

Kyoko looked at the blond girl in surprise, why hadn't _she_ thought of such a simple answer? Wait, could any of them drive?

"And who do we get to do that Su-san", she asked, "I can not, this is my second ride in an automobile".

"I'll do it", Su proclaimed, whipping out a flat cap and a pair of racing gloves from her back pocket.

"No!", Shinobu and Kyoko shouted as one, looking at each other in surprise for a second.

"Fine", Su pouted, "but if you won't and I can't, that just leaves…"

She grinned widely at Shinobu.

"Me!" the blue haired girl squeaked, shaking her head, "Kaolla I can't!"

"Sure you can, you're the only one whose had lessons anyways"

"I had _one_ lesson from sempai, just one!"

"That's still more than either of us combined", Kyoko pointed out, pleading silently with her eyes, "Please Shinobu-san, you're the only chance we have, I know you can do this".

Shinobu made a few more keening noises in the back of her throat, looking at the wheel Kentaro was draped over like it was some sort of malignant beast.

"Please Shinobu"

Shinobu nodded slowly, and the three girls were able to move Kentaro away from the wheel and place him by Kitsune.

As soon as they moved him the bus began to loose speed rapidly and all three girls gave a yell, though Su's sounded more like one of excitement than fear.

"Quickly Shinobu-san!", Kyoko commanded and the blue haired girl slipped into the driver's seat, gripping the wheel tightly and trying to remember which pedal was the accelerator.

Finding the one she hoped was the right one she jabbed her foot down, screaming as the suddenly lurched forward, Kyoko grabbing the passenger seats for support and Su ending up gambolling back into the passenger compartment.

Up ahead, the car they were supposed to be following, initially just a pinprick in the distance was now growing steadily closer by the second.

As the neared, it suddenly veered across the lanes, heading straight for a narrow turnoff.

"That way!"

Shinobu hauled on the wheel, and the bus lurched drunkenly after the car, nearly ploughing through several others in the process.

* * *

Akira looked at the black transport following him in his wing mirror and cursed creatively. He was sure he had left them eating dust a while back, but it seemed Sakata only brought the best. That thing was far faster than it looked, that was for sure, but he would bet anything it wasn't as nimble as his vehicle. 

The redhead saw the turning he was looking for and gave his break a quick stamp, swinging the steering wheel over to the left so that the back end of his car arced around to the right and feathering the accelerator again.

The result was that his car slid around the corner loosing only a fraction of speed and darted away again.

A quick glance in his mirror showed the bus attempting the same corner far to fast for something its size and crashing through the tall hedges that lined the smaller roads.

_All to easy_

* * *

Shinobu and Kyoko screamed as one as the bus tore through the hedges lining the road like a missile, going airborne for a few seconds, as the fields bellow the were lower than the road they had just been on. 

Their teeth _clack_ed together as they hit, the impact bouncing Shinobu in her seat and throwing Kyoko down next to her.

Shinobu's eyes were wide and her knuckles white on the wheel as they juddered and bounced across the uneven terrain.

Kyoko made the mistake of looking up and almost wished she hadn't. They were heading straight for a small river.

The bus hit something on the bank before it could plunge into the waters at full speed, and once more they went skyward.

Kyoko held a hand over her mouth as her stomach dropped, muffling her scream by coincidence as she did.

They crashed down on the far bank and Shinobu spun the wheel frantically, trying to avoid the outcropping of trees they heading for, but somehow only succeeding in snaking her way though the perimeter and into the forest proper.

She veered hard around a tree and banked right around another, to scared to even cry out as they narrowly avoided one impact after another at high speed.

"Please, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die", Shinobu babbled, tears streaking her pretty face and she dodged another outcropping, the bus tipping backward dangerously as they began to climb uphill.

They made it unhindered over the ridge, but it seemed, this is where fate had decided the girls had had enough luck for now.

A solid wall of green awaited them. No way to go around it, and no time to break.

Shinobu did the only thing she could think of. She closed her eyes, screamed and jammed both feet on the brake.

* * *

Akira couldn't believe it. It defied all logic. 

One moment he had just pulled up outside the gates to the Sagura temple grounds, congratulating himself heartily on a flawless execution of his plan…well, more or less.

Then he had heard the rumbling. The impossible sound of an engine straining at full capacity followed by the tortured shriek of overworked brakes.

_CRASH!_

The bus he thought he had lost had come barrelling out of the decorative saplings that lined the drive way, raining dirt and arm length splinters of wood in all directions, before grinding to a halt not a meter away from where he had parked, looking for all the world as if it had never been anywhere else.

He was still standing, gapping at it when the doors behind him opened, and a sleepy Motoko and Koichi emerged, rubbing their eyes to chase away the last vestiges of sleep.

They looked at his slack jawed expression and shrugged at each other.

"Looks like we're all here", Koichi observed.

Akira continued to stare.

* * *

Death was not anything like Kyoko had expected. There had been no pain, no suffering. Not even a sense of having her young life snuffed out tragically short, just a loud crash and then silence. 

It was also slowly dawning on her, that she could still feel her body. Now that wasn't right surely, how could she feel her body if she was dead?

Not just that but she could feel another body as well. Another warm body with its soft arms wrapped tightly around her neck, and its breath tickling her ear.

She also realised that whoever this mystery person was, she had her arms wrapped around their slender waist equally as tightly.

Curious as to her who her partner in the afterlife might be, Kyoko carefully opened a sea-grey eye.

Blue.

Well that was a strange colour for the afterlife. Then again what had she really expected. Slowly she began to realise she could smell something, a faint hint of lavender?

_What in the world?_

Kyoko opened both eyes, now able to see that only part of the world was covered by pleasant smelling blue; the rest was exactly as she had left it.

_Then this must be…_

"Shinobu?", she asked, pulling back a little to get a clear view. It was Shinobu alright, her violet eyes were screwed tightly shut and she was trembling slightly as if waiting for the inevitable.

"Please", she whispered in a tiny voice, "I don't want to be dead".

"You may want to open your eyes", Kyoko suggested dryly.

Gradually, the other girl complied with the suggestion and looked around as if surprised at where she found herself.

"Kyoko?…We're…not dead…are we?".

"I don't believe so", Kyoko responded.

Shinobu smiled happily…and her eyes rolled back into her head as she passed out over Kyoko's shoulder.

"…Right".

"Ow", came the groan as Su walked back into the driver's compartment, rubbing her head delicately, "That really…Oh…I can come back later if you want"

Kyoko wondered what she was talking about, until she realised, that with Shinobu's head on her shoulder where Su couldn't see that she was passed out, and both of them hugging still…

"She fainted," Kyoko said, all to aware of the blush climbing her face like a crimson tan, "Help wake those two up and get her outside".

"Okays", Su said, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "The sooner we're done here, the quicker you two can go back to cuddling".

Kyoko wondered if death would have been so bad after all.

* * *

Koichi watched bemused as Kitsune and Kentaro stumbled out of the bus, nursing their heads as if they had the mother of all hangovers between them. 

They were followed by Su and Kyoko, supporting a rather dazed looking Shinobu.

"What happened to her?", Koichi asked, noticing the way Su and Kyoko looked at each other before answering.

"Travel sickness", Kyoko replied nonchalantly, "A rather bad case I'm afraid".

"I…see", Koichi said, sure that there was more to be said then was being told, "She can rest up once we-"

Koichi never got to complete that sentence, there was a flare of Ki and one moment he was standing, the next he was on the ground, blood pumping from the wound to the back of his skull.

Motoko was standing over him in an instant, _Hina_ drawn and pointed at the man who had attacked her fiancé.

He was a little taller that her, severely cut black hair mirroring a stern, unforgiving face beset by lines of age or years of frowning. His muscled body was covered by a black Gi, open at the front and in his right hand was the heavy looking staff he had used to strike Koichi.

He looked down on his handiwork dispassionately and uttered a single word, "Pathetic".

"Who are you, name yourself coward!", Motoko demanded.

"It is good to see you again…Uncle", Akira said, appearing at her side and bowing deeply.

"Uncle?", it was then that she noticed the sea grey eyes set into his hard face, "But that means that…".

"I Motoko Aoyama, am Kenichi Sagura, Master and Lord of the _Oni's Bane_ school. I thank you, for returning my son".

* * *

---Author Notes--- 

And so we finally meet Koichi's father. Not a very nice man is he? Next chapter we'll explore Koichi's home a little more and Motoko and the others will begin to understand Koichi's misgivings.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell

PS: Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, I had it ready days ago but story manager was being a _Hiritsuken_ and not letting me edit my stories, gomen


	7. Chapter 6: Opening Negotiations

Chapter 6: Open to Negotiation

Motoko stared up at the man who had proclaimed himself Koichi's father incredulously. He didn't even bat an eyelid at the damage he had wrought on his own flesh and blood, nor did he make a move to assist him. No, rather he seemed to be waiting for something, watching everyone's reactions with carefully veiled interest.

"Greetings Father", came Kyoko's voice from her side. The younger girl lowered herself to her knees and bowed respectfully to her Father, never loosing her suddenly amplified aura of poise and grace, "I trust you are well?"

Kenichi looked down on her like a judge pronouncing sentence for a few seconds before a trace of a smile softened his visage.

"I am well little one…rise".

Kyoko rose without a wasted movement, eyes lowered and hands clasped demurely before her. Even having seen her act like this before, the shear level of change it provoked in her manner and appearance was shocking. The youngest Sagura now seemed much older than her sixteen years.

Motoko kept her sword in hand as she crouched down to check Koichi's pulse, her eyes never leaving the bizarre scene before her, this strange reunion that continued as if another family member did not lye unconscious mere feet away.

A quick survey showed that the others were of the same opinion. All the faces of her friends showed varying degrees of shock and outrage, even Kentaro. Only Shinobu seemed nonplussed, but that was because she was only partly conscious herself.

"I trust you had no trouble getting here?", Kenichi continued to exchange polite pleasantries with his daughter.

"No, of course not Father", she replied smoothly.

Motoko thought she saw his eyes flicker to something for a second but she couldn't be sure.

"Excellent".

"…Father, it has been a long journey…we are all fatigued, perhaps it would be best to continue this later when all of us are better able to contribute", Kyoko said, taking a half step to her right to give her father an unobstructed view of his unconscious son and one very angry _Gods Cry_ master.

Kenichi dipped his head to his daughter and clapped his hands together loudly.

Instantly a small torrent of plain robed servants trotted out from behind the walls that surrounded the temple complex.

"Of course, you are all welcome as guests of my daughter and…son"

They moved to the bus and car, taking luggage wordlessly, some stopping and bowing lowly to the confused tenants and motioning for them to follow as they began to retreat again.

Their possessions already in the hands of their hosts, the others had little choice but to follow. Kitsune looked for a second as if she would refuse to follow until Kentaro more or less dragged her after the others, whispering something that seemed to convince her to come under her own power.

Soon only Motoko remained, two servants hovering nervously out of the range of her blade, as if it would save them if she got angry enough to strike out at them.

Motoko glared unwaveringly at Kenichi, who returned her animosity with disinterest. She felt something grip her arm and glanced down, startled to find a smooth faced Kyoko looking up at her.

"Aoyama-sama, you must allow these men to tend my Oni-san", she said gently but without the tiniest hint of concern for her elder brother in her voice.

Motoko felt like raging against the insanity of this moment, until she caught something in the younger girl's gaze, a hint of pleading unfeigned.

Motoko nodded roughly, sheaving her blade and stepping aside while the servants carefully examined, cleaned and bandaged Koichi's injury, lifting him between them and retreating in the same direction as the others.

Motoko felt Kyoko pulling almost imperceptibly on her robe, signalling her to follow. The Blademaster cast one last baleful look at her fiancé's attacker before following the younger girls sedate, gliding pace.

As soon as they were both out of sight Kenichi rounded on his nephew. He didn't shout or threaten him physically; he just raised one thick eyebrow. Something much worse to anyone who knew him well.

Akira as on his knees instantly, face pressed to the dirt of his own violation.

"Nephew… correct me if I am wrong…but I believe I said I wanted _only_ my son and his intended brought here, Kyoko was to be left where she was".

"Indeed Uncle, that is what you decreed", you could almost hear Akira's frantic heartbeat at that moment. Admitting a blunder to Kenichi Sagura was not something to be cherished.

"So…explain to me", Akira trembled a little as he felt the heavy footfalls of his Uncle growing closer, "Why is not only my daughter here…but a whole host of my son's friends!".

"I apologise Uncle!", Akira squirmed where he was prostrate, hoping that it would at least be quick.

The blow never came.

"Rise", came his Uncle's disgusted voice.

Slowly Akira stood, keeping his head bowed as a precaution. Just because he had been allowed to stand again did not automatically give him the right to look his Uncle in the eye again.

"This turn of events is…perturbing, but not crippling, it will just make things harder, we will simply change track a little, my daughter will not be to much trouble", Kenichi pronounced.

Akira thought back to when he had met her atop the roof of the Hinata Sou, she had certainly given him the impression then that she was firmly in hwer brother's camp.

And there was just now… 

"I think we may need to watch her Uncle", Akira ventured timidly, "She will not betray Koichi".

"She is my daughter, she will do as she is told, at least one of my children knows their place", Kenichi responded angrily.

"As you say Uncle", Akira said, with a small bow for good measure.

_I just hope you aren't underestimating her_…

* * *

Pain, consciousness. Consciousness, pain.

It was all the same to Koichi Sagura. His head felt like it had been hit by a truck and then back over a few times for good measure.

He tried to recall if he had ever felt like this before, only the time Kitsune had baited him into a drinking contest coming close in recent memory. So what had happened? Had she tricked him into it again?

He heard a gentle trickle of water nearby and felt something cold being placed on his forehead.

"Kitsune?", he croaked, wincing at the twinge talking caused at the base of his skull.

There was a light chuckle he recognised, too high for Kitsune, and too young to be Motoko, "I do not think Motoko-sama would appreciate you calling other women's names, even after a head injury Oni-chan".

Koichi grimaced a little and set to work on convincing uncooperative and suddenly very heavy eyelids to open.

They eventually relented as if resigning to his stupidity. Koichi understood their reluctance as the light slammed into his skull and attempted to punch through the other side with all the subtly of a jackhammer.

"Ouch", he muttered the gross understatement.

He held his eyes open with grim determination and eventually located Kyoko knelt next to him, a look of relief on her usually impassive face.

"Welcome back Oni-chan", she said with a small smile.

Koichi smiled back, still trying to place exactly what had happened this time. He lay there for a moment, starring up at the thick, ancient beams that supported the ceiling of the room, he found himself in, looking at the plain green walls and running a hand out of the futon he was lying on, across the well polished wooden floor.

He was really home. Sad that any nostalgia was drowned out by a feeling of restriction and the desire to leave.

"Oni-chan?", Kyoko must have noticed his troubled expression.

"What happened?", he asked, verbally waving off her concern.

"…Father", she said, flinching a little at the expression that darkened his usually laughing face for a moment, "I think he wanted to see if you had progressed enough to have really defeated Tsuroko-sama…you seem to be ok though, I guess your head really is thicker than any of us give you credit for".

"Brat", Koichi uttered his all purpose rejoinder with an amused snort, "…Where's Motoko?".

He tried to rise but Kyoko gently restrained him, "You know better than that Oni-chan, an unwed man and woman alone in his bedchambers, Father would not permit such a breach of etiquette, intended or not".

Koichi glared at the ceiling, "Since when have I played by the rules?"

"You'll have to if you want to stop Father standing against your marriage to Motoko-sama", Kyoko reminded him sombrely, upset by the look of fear that crossed his features at the implied idea that he might loose Motoko.

_Oni-chan…Father…_

"…I guess…What have I missed since I left then?", he asked, reluctant to plunge back into his families internal politics but knowing that this was probably his last chance to catch up on any relevant information.

"Nothing much has changed…Uncle Hitoshi is still trying to convince Father to moderate his approach to the other Clans, Akira has been throwing himself into ever fight he can find, trying to improve his skills to surpass you as has always been his goal. His discovery of his new _Bladeless_ technique has won him some recognition, but it came at about the same time you defeated Tsuruko-sama…", she paused, leaving the implication for him to figure out.

"So in other words he's even more pissed at me than usual", Koichi said with a satisfied smirk.

"Yes, and that could make him…problematic", Kyoko chided her brother, both exasperated and endeared by his lack of concern about the rivalry their cousin held with him.

"Yeah, yeah, I can handle snake-boy", Koichi said with a confident smile.

Kyoko couldn't help but smile. Not due to his enthusiasm, no, but because she knew with a certain morbid humour, that what she said next would have him running for cover.

"…And Sakura is here", she said casually, trying not to laugh as his eyes widened and darted about the room frantically.

"Where?", he said in a muffled voice, realising with some embarrassment that he had drawn the covers of the futon up over the lower half of his face and pushing them down again.

"Not in the room silly", she said with a fond smile, "She came carrying a letter from Father's cousin this morning apparently, and he invited her to stay seeing as we hadn't seen her for some time".

"She turns up the same day as the old man demands me and Motoko come beg his blessing", Koichi said with noticeable sarcasm, "Very convenient"

"Indeed", she answered, deciding against telling him that it was actually close to noon the following day, that would just make it less likely he would stay put.

Koichi sat twisting his sheets between his hands unconsciously for a moment. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going through his mind.

"You don't think she'd…you know, with Motoko here and all", he said, trying not to sound nervous and annoyed when he didn't succeed.

"Why do you ask dear brother", Kyoko asked around the sleeve she was using to hide her smile, "Are you afraid of what might happen to _her_ or to _you_".

"It all goes on the tab brat", Koichi warned her as she began to laugh.

"I think Sakura will be the least of your worries", she said when her laughter subsided. She paused when it looked as if Koichi was concentrating on something else.

"Someone is approaching", she stated, almost rolling her eyes at his surprised expression, and explaining, "You always pull that face when you're sensing something".

"Could be worse, I could have your face _all_ the time", he said, smiling and seeming to relax for some reason.

"Motoko-sama?", she guessed, ignoring the insult, again noting his surprise.

"You sure you haven't been sneaking lessons from Uncle Hitoshi or something?", he asked.

"No", she said sadly, "You know our families rules about training women…".

Koichi put a hand over hers, "Hey, when Motoko and me get married and the schools are united, we'll scrap that stupid rule and maybe me and her can train you, how about it?".

Kyoko smiled down at her elder brother, grateful for the offer but doubting Father would ever allow it.

_Poor kid_, Koichi thought not missing the wistfulness in her smile, _She's got it worse than me in some ways, at least I broke away, she put her own neck in the collar a long time ago, now she doesn't think she has a way out_.

"I best go now, you need rest".

Koichi frowned at her as she rose gracefully and made to leave, "Ok…Could you let Motoko in before you go?".

Kyoko stopped by the door, her hand on the handle.

"You know I can't do that", she said quietly.

She continued abruptly as he opened his mouth to vent his frustration with her and her slavish adherence to the rules that governed her life.

"However, should I forget to lock the door, it is not my fault if one of our guests, not knowing better should wander in".

She smiled at him weakly over her shoulder, "Rest well Oni-chan".

The dark haired girl slid the door aside and stepped through, closing it again with barely a whisper.

"…Kyoko".

* * *

Kyoko drew herself up as she stepped away from the door, reassuming her outer façade as the Lady Sagura. She began to walk away but paused.

"Motoko-sama?", she said quietly, turning to see the other woman standing with her hand guiltily on the door to Koichi's room.

Motoko blushed a little, before straightening her back with a look of icy defiance. She was caught off guard by Kyoko's smile.

"Don't concern yourself", Kyoko explained, "As I already told Oni-san, I saw no one enter here after I left, but if they did, I must have forgot to lock the door".

Motoko nodded her understanding and smiled thankfully at the younger girl.

The raven-haired swordswoman hesitated a moment, seeing that there was something else the other girl wanted to ask, but didn't seem able to put into words.

"I trust you will tell the others that Koichi is well?", Motoko asked, noticing the youngest Sagura divert her eyes as she suggested it.

"No", Kyoko said quietly, "I think it would be best if I stayed away from them for a while".

"Why?"

Kyoko looked up, surprised that the older woman would need to ask such a question, "They still believe that I betrayed Oni-san…on the way here…Shinobu wouldn't even look at me".

Motoko was sure for a second that she saw tears gathering in the other girl's grey eyes, but they were gone seconds later as she seemed to regain control of her emotions. It also didn't pass her notice that Kyoko had unconsciously dropped the formal manner of addressing Shinobu.

Motoko recalled her earlier conversations with the others as they had settled into their Spartan if spacious rooms, all located on the east side of the building, as far from Koichi and Kyoko's quarters as possible within the moderately sized structure.

"I don't think you should trouble yourself unnecessarily", she said kindly, "They don't blame you for anything, and no of us believes that snake of a cousin of yours for a second. As for Shinobu…".

Motoko debated over telling the dark-haired girl anything, but decided that if she didn't, Kyoko probably wouldn't talk to her new friend again, for fear of offending her.

"…She was ashamed of how quickly and how readily she believed Akira, at least to begin with. She doesn't have many friends, but she always stands by those she does, so I think that upset her".

Motoko watched. On the surface nothing appeared to be happening, Kyoko had listened to what she had been told as if someone were telling her of the weather rather than whether or not her friends despised her. However there was a change in her eyes that the younger of the Aoyama sister's didn't fail to notice.

"Arigato, Motoko-sama", she said with a small bow, "…If I may, there are things I must attend to".

Motoko was happy the younger girl was no longer under a false impression, but there was still something that bothered her about the girl at times, something that had been standing out since they had arrived the previous day before they had been summoned here.

"Kyoko-chan…"

"Yes Motoko-sama?", the younger girl asked, somehow giving off the impression she was eager to leave, despite standing perfectly still.

"I don't know exactly what is going on…but remember, the heart can be a fickle and fragile thing…take care".

"Of course Motoko-sama. I would advise you not linger, I do not know who else might choose to visit", Kyoko said with another bow as she left, wondering just what the older woman had been talking about.

She stumbled a little as she recalled something from the previous day. Surely she couldn't think…no, it was just her imagination; Motoko wasn't intimating anything of the sort.

Kyoko fixed her destination in her mind, unaware of the blush that stained her checks.

* * *

Motoko slid the door open a crack and peered in. Koichi seemed to be asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly and his eyes closed.

She slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind herself, moving to the side of the futon and crouching next to him.

She studied his face silently for a moment. He didn't seem to be in any pain, in fact he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. There was a small smile on his face.

_Wait…_, she thought leaning closer, _I know that smile…_

A hand lanced out from beneath the covers, grabbing a fistful of the front of her robe and hauling her down on top of him.

She let out a yelp and his arms circled her waist, pinning her atop him but leaving her arms free. His smile widened and he opened one eye a crack.

"Oh Motoko", he said, sounding surprised, "My bad, I thought you were one of the servant girls".

His head may have been out of bounds, but his gut was still fair game, as he found out the hard way when she rammed a fist home.

"_Oooffh!_"

"Baka"

"Great, abuse the guy with the head injury why don't ya", he said with a lopsided smile.

"And a smart mouth", she added.

He shrugged philosophically and grinned.

Motoko was gradually becoming aware that they had been in their current position for some time, and she hadn't yet made an attempt to correct the situation.

"Koichi, let me up"

"Nope"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "And why not?".

"I like you right here", he replied holding her a bit tighter and flashing his best smile. She blushed a little and let her arms cease their efforts to remove her from his grasp.

"Hentai"

He smiled at her and adjusted his grip to let her grow comfortable.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything", came a deep, amused voice from by the door.

Motoko almost leapt out of her skin, and could only stare at the new visitor in shock and embarrassment.

His appearance was almost as shocking as the fact that neither she, nor Koichi judging from his expression, had sensed him coming. He could have been Kenichi's twin but for the grey at his temples, and the face that was clearly made for laughing rather than scowling.

"Hey Uncle", Koichi said, loosing his grip on Motoko to allow her to take a seat next to the futon, "Long time no see, I trust you are well".

The older man chuckled, "Well enough, I'd ask the same of you my boy, but you seem to be doing just fine".

He laughed again as Motoko silenced any response from her fiancé with a look that clearly promised death.

"I take it you young lady, are Motoko Aoyama, Takagi's youngest yes?", he asked, taking a seat on the other side of the futon.

Motoko blinked in surprise, "You know my Father?"

"My dear, when you reach my age, you get to know just about everyone. Especially if they have anything to do with the Clans. But that's a story for another day, I just came to check on my nephew, my little brother was always a bit heavy handed I'm afraid", Hitoshi explained as if talking of a mischievous youngest rather than the implacable master of the _Oni's Bane_ school.

"A little!" Motoko found herself blurting angrily.

Hitoshi scratched the back of his head like Koichi would sometimes when he had said something foolish.

"Yes, well, an understatement perhaps, but Koichi is ok, Kenichi struck him nowhere near hard enough to kill".

Motoko looked at him like he was mad. Did no one in this family think it was a little strange for one family member to attack another?

An image of Tsuruko flashed through her mind for some reason but she dismissed it.

"Anyway, I can't hang around here with you youngsters all day, just came to tell you that Kenichi has requested you and all your guests join him for dinner in the main hall tonight", Hitoshi said, rising slowly and stretching, "You be ok by then nephew?"

"Couldn't drag me away", Koichi replied, clearly not thrilled about any of this. Inviting all the others to a welcoming banquet could only mean one thing, he had someone he wanted to invite, but couldn't find a legitimate reason for them to be included in a private dinner.

"Excellent", Hitoshi said, either missing his nephew's despondency or choosing to ignore it.

Motoko watched him leave before turning back to Koichi, who had both his hands over his face melodramatically.

"It's just a meal", she pointed out, "What's the worse that could happen".

Koichi whimpered. He had just figured out whom his Father wanted to invite.

* * *

Kyoko had arrived at the guest quarters some five minutes ago. Naturally the first door she had asked a passing servant about had turned out to be Shinobu's. Thus she stood, frozen outside, her hand obedient only up to a point less than an inch away from the door.

The grey-eyed girl sighed in vexation. She was determined that she would talk to all her friends, but something stopped her from knocking the door. The same something that seemed to prevent her from simply moving on to another and coming back later.

She had a pretty good idea where this sudden discomfort had come from.

On her way here she had contemplated Motoko's strange words, as well as a number of other occasions that seemed to be linked to it.

The night of the party, the kitchen, the bus. All of these things were maddeningly connected to her brother's fiancé's cryptic message, but damned if she could figure out the meaning.

Sighing again she made another abortive attempt to knock.

She considered just hollering for attention, as un-lady-like as that would be, it might be simpler.

"My Lady?"

Kyoko had to rein in a scream, keeping her face impassive as she took her time facing the servant woman, almost daring her to ask why she had been standing outside the door for so long.

"Yes"

The serving woman dipped her head respectfully, a little deeper than necessary, perhaps thinking Kyoko's ire directed at her.

The dark-haired girl berated herself inwardly, a true Lady, did not take out her frustrations on her lesser, she was a picture of cool serenity.

"What is it Mitsuki?", she said, smiling to herself at how the servants always seemed surprised when she remembered their names.

"My Lady, your Father requests your presence in his study at your convenience", the servant said.

Kyoko was quiet for a moment. Her Father certainly hadn't wasted any time. She had hoped that she might be sparred inclusion in his schemes this time, but she had not been taught to allow her talents to waste, and he knew that.

She nodded and followed.

After all, what more could a dutiful daughter do?

* * *

Kyoko sat across from her father, sipping delicately at the tea provided by the servants before they left.

Neither spoke, each waiting to see what, if anything, the other would open with.

"Tell me daughter…", Kenichi said, setting his own cup down on the table that separated them, "What do you make of all this?"

Kyoko set lowered her cup but didn't release it, cocking her head slightly to the side, "What do you mean Father?".

Kenichi smiled. Kyoko really had been attentive in her classes, rebuffing his question without giving offence and forcing him to tip his hand in order to retrieve the information he desired.

If that was how she wanted to do this…

"I mean with your brother and his…bride to be, the Aoyama girl", he said taking another sip of his own tea, marking the end of his enquiry and making it seemed one of low interest.

"They seem happy Father"

"Seem?", he said with a fractional raise of his eyebrow. Polite concern.

"Yes, one cannot know the mind of two lovers".

Translation: I do not wish to discuss what is theirs to discuss.

Kenichi frowned, it was not exactly defiance, but it was a stretch of propriety given the context.

"Indeed, but surely you know the mind of your own brother", he said, returning the cup to the table and holding her gaze, "What of him? What is she to him?".

Kyoko set her own cup down, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles in her kimono before answering.

"She is everything to him Father…and I believe she feels the same".

Kenichi frowned at this news. He had no doubt Kyoko was correct, she could read people very well, but this didn't bode well for his plans.

"If that is true then we have nothing to fear…but I would feel better knowing someone was watching out for them", he said fixing her with a stare.

Kyoko felt her gut twist. Just as she had suspected, Father wanted her to spy on Koichi and Motoko for him.

"Would you do this for me?"

Kyoko couldn't bring herself to look at him. Betray her brother, or defy her Father. What kind of choice was that?

Or did she even have a choice. Even as she felt the reply move past her lips she knew what her answer would be.

"Of course Father".

Kyoko dismissed herself, claiming she wanted time to properly prepare for the diner tonight.

As she walked, Kyoko cursed herself. She had given in without a fight, what more could a dutiful daughter do but submit to her father's wishes.

Kyoko remembered what had happened every time she had sort comfort as her feet began to lead her toward the east wing.

She stopped herself and walked the other way. No, there were more important things than making herself feel better. She would obey her Father, but she would not betray her brother, and to accomplish both, she would need to plan.

* * *

----Author Notes---

Chapter done, sort of a filler/setup chapter this one, giving you all an idea of how things work amongst the Sagura family. Next chapter we'll see a little more political sparring and the unfolding of Kenichi's 'plan'

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	8. Chapter 7: What came before

Chapter Seven: What came before

Seven O'clock.

The residents of the Hinata Sou have all been informed of the dinner they are to attend, and by a subtle suggestion from the Lady of grounds, been provided with _appropriate_ attire and a number of off duty servants to "_Make sure everything is in order_".

Father will have a harder time dismissing them if he cannot readily identify them as outsiders, and that will aid them if they wish to come to your defence brother.

19:01

Kyoko checked her light blue kimono one final time, ensuring there were no crinkles or creases running through the white sakura patterns, and that the obi was securely fastened.

All of these checks were merely delaying tactics and she knew it. She found herself once more outside a certain blue haired girl's room, her disquiet from hours before still fresh in her mind even if the exact reason had been pushed out of her mind by more pressing issues.

"This is ridiculous", she told herself sternly, raising a hand to knock. Shinobu and the others held no grievance against her, so there was no need to feel…uncomfortable.

A faint smell of lavender caught her attention, momentarily whipping her back to the last time she had encountered such a scent…

The door slid aside and Shinobu was brought up short as she found her way blocked by Kyoko, seemingly deep in thought, her brow furrowed slightly, but a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Kyoko?", the blue haired girl asked when Kyoko didn't seem to react, resisting the urge to wave her hand in front of the other girl's face.

The grey-eyed girl seemed to come back to herself upon hearing her name being spoken, and Shinobu had to work hard not to giggle at the adorable look of confusion that crossed her friend's face as she focused on what had brought her out of her reverie.

"Kyoko, did you want something?"

Kyoko straightened a little and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out as she took another second to take note of her friends apparel.

Shinobu was dressed in a green Kimono with darker green floral patterns across it and a yellow obi, her hair tied up in the traditional bun at the back of her head, just like Kyoko's own, giving an unobstructed view of her pretty face and large violet eyes.

"You look quiet lovely Shinobu", Kyoko said, those words replacing whatever she had been planning to say and bringing out a light blush on her friends face that must have been mirrored on her own even as Shinobu uttered her thanks.

For a moment, neither of the two friends spoke.

"I…Believe we should go gather the others", Kyoko said smoothly when the abrupt silence between the two had begun to stretch and she was sure her face had returned to its normal colour.

She turned somewhat stiffly on her heal, proceeding to the next room without looking back or hearing when the other girl muttered her agreement and began to follow.

* * *

It didn't take long to gather the rest of their little tribe. The only delays came from convincing Kitsune to close her deep red kimono with its golden dragon patterns, right to the top and a few more minutes advising a reluctant Motoko against bringing along either the Hina or the Sword of Two Souls.

Kyoko lined them up as best they could be in the hallway, inspecting each of them with a practiced eye. Su in a deep blue with white mist patterns and a royal blue obi bounced impatiently near Motoko in a beige kimono decorated with small tree patterns and a red obi, having to be separated from her forcibly at times to prevent her jumping on her friends back and ruining both of their garments with her enthusiasm for food.

Next Kyoko organised them into what Su termed their marching order, herself and Motoko at the head of their little group, followed by Kitsune and a black robed Kentaro, and finally Su and Shinobu bringing up the rear.

She had them walk past her up and down the hall a few times, wishing she had thought to give them some formal instruction before coming to collect them, but knowing spending any more time around them than necessary would only raise her Father's suspicions.

Surprisingly Su managed an almost regal grace when convinced that she would be helping Koichi by behaving. Kyoko could not help but wonder if the other girl had had any formal instruction, and made a note to ask at a later date.

Shinobu was probably the most graceful of them after Su, although she wouldn't believe it, followed by Motoko and finally Kitsune, who really couldn't help but look sexy rather than graceful in something that hugged her figure as unintentionally well as the kimono.

Satisfied, Kyoko rejoined the group and began leading them toward the dinning hall.

"Where's Koichi?", Motoko asked her quietly after they began moving. Kyoko didn't look at her directly as she responded, modulating her voice so it could only be heard by Motoko and keeping her pace smooth and even.

"He will be waiting there already most likely, I'm only here because it is my duty as hostess".

"…I see".

"…Motoko-sama. There are a number of things we could talk about while we walk…have I ever told you about my family…or has Koichi?", Kyoko said, phrasing her question carefully.

"No", Motoko said, sounding curious, "Neither of us talk about our respective families often".

"I see…Well, you know most of the immediate family. My Father,", she didn't miss the low growl that grew in the older woman's throat and pushed on, ", my cousin Akira and his father, Uncle Hitoshi, the man who is thought to be the only voice of moderation left within the Clan or at least this family since the death of my mother at my birth…".

Motoko looked at Kyoko sympathetically, but the younger girl kept her eyes forward, her face impassive as always.

"We have a number of other relatives that we rarely see…one however will be attending tonight's dinner as my Father's guest", a glance showed that none of this really interested the older woman, and Kyoko braced herself to deliver the part of this little speech that would grab the other woman's attention, "Sakura Hisaka, eldest daughter of my Father's cousin…she was his best friend during his childhood, something which only changed about a year ago…".

"Really? How come?", Motoko's voice now displayed something other than polite interest.

"…She made it known that she wished to wed him", Kyoko managed to stabilize the raven haired woman as she stumbled a little, risking a look at her face and wishing she hadn't.

She remembered the nightmares she had had after reading about the sealing of the great demon Yazuroph in the family library. Her night terrors would have fled in fear at the look on Motoko's face at that moment.

"What?", her voice matched her expression.

"She fell in love with my brother, she expressed a wish to wed him someday", Kyoko replied evenly.

"And how did he respond?"

"He rebuffed her, saying that he had already promised someone else…", Kyoko watched Motoko's expression return to normal, with the hint of a proud smile, and wished she didn't have to add the next bit, "Sakura refused to except this…she spent the better part of six months here trying rather forcefully to change his mind".

"Oh really", Motoko's words were deceptively mild; as her hand groped unconsciously for the sword she wasn't wearing.

"I warn you of her presence in advance…I do not know what her heart holds now, but I am aware that a blade is not the only way to wound someone", she said referring both to anything Sakura might try, and as a warning against giving in to anger and jealousy, especially when one is a martial arts master.

Motoko coloured a little, showing she had understood the message and would show restraint.

Kyoko fell silent and resumed her even pace as they drew closer, bringing each and every impulse, every form of expression under her perfect control.

_Dancing without moving_, an expression used both by political and Ki instructors alike, and it fit both areas well.

Two servants bowed low as they pulled the doors aside, granting the party admittance to the room beyond.

* * *

The dining hall was a expansive room, long and wide if not any taller than normal, after all, it had been designed within the confines of the temple's structure. That in no way detracted from the simple elegance of the room.

Some of the guests were already seated and waiting for the others. Her Father at the head of the low set table, Koichi to his right and next to him…

Kyoko's eyes almost narrowed at her Father's lack of tact. Seated next to her brother was Sakura, re-splendid in her white kimono with cherry blossom motif like her namesake and sky blue obi, black, purple tinged hair held up by simple gold ornaments and her poise perfect.

Next to her Koichi eyed her warily, almost comically if you didn't know the lengths this woman had gone to trying to win him over, including something that had occurred in the temple's private onsen he still refused to talk about, even with her.

It was true that Motoko could not sit next to him, or across from him by rules of etiquette, and that as family Sakura should sit higher than any of their guests, giving her perfect right to the spot she now occupied, but still…

Kyoko mentally shook her head while smiling at the servant who guided her to her seat on her Father's other side thankfully.

Thus they were seated: Kenichi at his place at the head of the table. To his right; Koichi, Sakura, Kitsune and Kentaro, and to his left; herself, Motoko, Shinobu and Su.

Finally, at the end of the table was an empty space…a space left in memory for their late mother.

Hitoshi had begged off attending the meal, claiming that he wanted time to catch up with is errant son. More likely he didn't want anyone else around at that meal that was against Koichi and was doing his bit to help out as requested by his niece.

They all ate the first course of the meal in an uncomfortable silence. Motoko and Koichi would occasionally glance at each other, the latter to shrug apologetically, and the former to observe the distance between the latter and Sakura.

Kyoko was actually surprised that Sakura hadn't tried to move closer to her brother, making the most of the opportunity, but she ascribed it to a burst of common sense, or a change of tact at least.

It was shortly after the main meal was brought out that the peace was broken.

"Tell me Koichi", her father began, "What has kept you from making this visit earlier?".

Koichi eyed him; "There have been a number of things to work out".

"Problems?", Kenichi asked politely, opting to take the same track he had with her, though with the more volatile personality possessed by her brother, it was likely to provoke an unfavourable out burst if maintained.

Koichi clenched his hand under the table, he knew the old man would start in on his relationship to Motoko as soon as possible but he had at least hoped he would do it in private, and without all this verbal light-footing his family seemed to love so much.

_Yeah, cause that was going to happen_

"No, just a small period of re-acquaintance…We hadn't seen each other since we were children after all", he replied forcing himself not to clench his teeth.

"Ah yes, children, the time of the innocent heart…and the foolish-", a delicate cough cut off what ever he had been about to say next and Kyoko apologised as she took a sip of her water.

Kenichi frowned at his daughter thoughtfully and turned back to Koichi, who had resumed eating, cutting off another assault from his Father. Koichi chewed slowly wanting to prolong his old man's period of silence as long as possible, both men so focused on each other they missed the thankful look Motoko gave Kyoko who acted as if she hadn't seen it.

"Yes…I suppose that was then and this is now", Kenichi said, taking the only available route out of the conversation and clearly unhappy about it, "I hope that things continue smoothly. I feel I should warn you Ms. Aoyama, my son has a bad record with marriage…isn't that right Sakura?".

Kyoko was relieved she had warned the swordswoman before hand, as it was Motoko still tensed visibly, but she didn't shout or demand an explanation from Koichi, or worse, make a move against Sakura, all of which would have damned her in Kenichi's eyes.

"I am aware of what has happened in the past", Motoko said evenly and once more there was a flash of disappointment on Kenichi's face as his verbal attack was brought up short before it could even pick up wind.

"As am I", Sakura added without looking up from her own meal.

Koichi glanced at her and back a little to quickly, gulping as she saw the look Motoko turned on both of them. He was glad that she didn't say anything, but there would be a reckoning if he wasn't more careful with his reactions.

He felt his nervousness replaced once more by anger as he caught his Father's fleeting smile, hidden behind his water cup.

Kyoko looked over the rim of her own glass at the older purple-haired girl. That response offered a number of possible interpretations, each one dependant solely upon the listener to decide which was correct.

A skilful declaration of autonomy within this little struggle, unfortunately her brother's reaction added certain scandalous connotations to the statement that it would not have otherwise had.

_Oh Oni-chan, I can only help you if you help yourself._

Still, she had to admit her curiosity was piqued, unfortunately so was both their Father's and Motoko's, the last of those having the biggest potential fallout of the lot.

"I'm sure we all remember the past…", Kenichi left that hanging for a moment, further emphasising everyone's private conclusions, whatever they might be.

_Well played Father_

"But we should look to the future…The future of our school and its children. I assume you have both thought that far ahead?"

Koichi almost choked mid-swallow as his Father casually dropped that bombshell.

"Children?", he asked a smoothly as possible, noticing that Motoko had discovered a new shade of red and was staring at his Father in shock.

"Yes, that is were marriage typically leads Koichi"

"We have some more pressing concerns to deal with right now", Koichi said, trying to work around the issue, "Namely the actual marriage and taking over the schools".

Kenichi nodded and went back to his food.

No one said anything after that, although Kenichi tired several times unsuccessfully to get the other guests to speak about live with the couple.

The meal done the others began to drift off, Motoko and Koichi leaving together, Koichi making a point of walking to her as close as possible without impeding either of their movements.

Eventually only Kyoko, Kenichi and Sakura were left.

"Thank you for the meal", Sakura said, rising with a grace that rivalled Kyoko's own, "I think I'll retire".

"Goodnight", Kenichi said.

"Yes…Wait, I think I'll join you", Kyoko said, starting to rise.

"No, I need to speak with you a moment daughter. Carry on Sakura, Kyoko will join you later".

Sakura bowed to them both and left, taking one last glance at the silent pair before closing the door.

Kyoko sipped her water again; awaiting whatever her Father was going to say.

"Tell me daughter…do you intend to stand against me?".

Kyoko didn't even bat an eyelash as she responded, "Oh course not Father, how could you say such a thing?".

Kenichi starred at her unblinkingly, looking for any hole, or hint of falsehood in her indignation. Slowly he looked away.

"I apologise Kyoko-chan, matters have left me so troubled I see plots were there are none", again he watched her reaction, but she only looked concerned.

"You know that I am not the only one who objects to your brothers plans".

"I know Father", she said, folding her hands in her lap.

"Many do not wish for the Clans to merge, they believe it will destroy the integrity of our teachings".

"Everyone fears change Father", she looked at him directly, subtly driving her next point home, "But nothing progresses without it. Flexibility of spirit and mind is something you taught me".

Kenichi nodded wordlessly.

"I really am feeling tired Father", she prompted.

"Of course, go, get your rest, I'll talk to you again later tomorrow… I want you to check on your brother and his bride before you see me tomorrow. I wouldn't do for them to be left to languish without anything to do".

"…Yes Father", Kyoko said, bowing formally to him and retreating from the room.

As soon as she was outside, Kyoko leaned against the wall and sighed deeply.

_So far so good,_ she thought, _Now if only you can keep up your end brother_.

* * *

Koichi sighed heavily, leaning against the banister of the outer walkway that ringed the temple. He had taken Motoko here, out under the moonlight to get away from the temple's atmosphere, and the people inside it, at least in spirit, for a time.

He looked up at the moon, a few days away from full. An ominous day the night of a full moon in some old traditions, and as living proof that not all the old tales were lies and fancy, he hoped they would be long gone before it rolled around.

Motoko was standing next to him, her arms crossed, looking out across the ornamental lake that was set outside the south end of the building, and the white lilies, his mother's favourite, that floated serenely across its surface.

He rested his head on his arms and cocked it to look at her from where he rested.

"You always look beautiful under the moonlight".

A faint smile passed her features as she completed the private joke/compliment.

"Hentai".

He grined weakly at her and turned away, resting his chin on the smooth wood and allowing one arm to loll over the banister.

There was an expectant silence, and he had an idea what it was covering.

"Are you going to tell me…or do I have to ask?", Motoko said, turning around and leaning against the railing, head tilted to look down at him.

Koichi groaned and glanced up at her serious expression.

"There's nothing to tell"

"Nothing? Kyoko told me about you and Sakura, Koichi. You didn't think that another woman wanting to marry you, one your father is more likely to approve of, is worth mentioning?".

Koichi buried his face in his arms.

"Would you believe me if I said I forgot about it?", came his muffled reply.

Motoko smiled, "Actually I would, your just stupid enough to do it".

"Jeez thanks", he said without looking up.

Motoko laughed and began running a hand through his hair, laughing louder when he pretended to purr.

"So you gonna tell me what happened?"

"I thought the brat already filled you in?"

"I want you to tell me Koichi", she said, giving his hair a light tug, "I think you know a little more than your sister".

Koichi pushed himself upright and looked at her.

"Sakura was my best friend after you Motoko, her family spent a lot of time here…my old man and his cousin are close friends. I used to talk to her a lot, we played together, she'd help me with Kyoko when the old man was to busy".  
He turned to face the lake again.

"When we hit sixteen she started acting strange around me…"

"And being male you failed to notice".

"Who's telling this story?", he said with a lopsided grin. His fiancé's old prejudices seemed to rear up at the strangest times, usually with a burst of empathy or compassion.

"Yeah, I just thought she was being a girl, you know how strange they can be", he laughed as she hit him lightly.

"Anyway, about a year passes with both her and, oddly enough, Kyoko dropping hints that are now kinda obvious in hindsight. Finally she must have had enough, she comes out and tells me she'd fallen in love with me, and wanted me to take her as my wife, right in front of Uncle Hitoshi, Kyoko and the old man…I thought she was joking. When I realised she wasn't I freaked out and began avoiding her…Unfortunately that didn't really seem to discourage her. You can't imagine the craziness that ensued".

Motoko affected a sardonic smile, thinking back to the Great Keitaro Chase back in its heyday, and her own part in it.

"I think I can sympathise more than you could imagine", she said, waving off his questioning expression. She didn't feel up to telling him about that just yet. How does one drop the fact their first adult crush was on the landlord of the building they still lived in with said man.

It was probably a good thing he had never read any of her amateur romance novels, she had yet to replace the roguish ronin with the noble samurai since she had less time to work on them as of late.

"So what happened in the end?"

"Things got out of control…we talked, I explained to her there was someone I was in love with, even if I didn't know if she loved me back, and Kyoko was convinced she wouldn't remember me", Motoko avoided his gaze an blushed a little, she had indeed forgotten about her promise, and Koichi, "And she said she could let me go…".

Koichi fell silent, leaving her with the impression that there was still more to this story, but this was all he was going to tell her.

"I…see".

Koichi yawned and stretched like a cat, "I forgot how tiring it was to be here, I'm going to bed…Care to join me?"

Motoko noted he had walked out of easy striking range and was affecting a look of pure innocence.

"Against the rules I'm afraid", she said.

He put his hand to his head and looked mock stricken.

"Alas cruel fate, to keep us apart"

Motoko shook her head, "Grow up"

"Never…Goodnight Motoko"

"Goodnight Koichi"

She watched as he walked away, hands folded behind his back, whistling off tune. He didn't look like a man whose family was against his marriage.

She turned and began walking back toward her own room, casting a glance back in his direction and wondering from where such boundless confidence sprang.

She froze as she saw something move in the direction Koichi had gone. Something garbed in white, with purple hair.

_…Sakura?_

Motoko did not like to think herself a particularly jealous or suspicious woman, but her feet seemed to have a will of their own as they carried her stealthily in the woman's wake.

* * *

Koichi dropped, still fully clothed in his black robes, face first onto his futon. Nothing had changed. Same crap, different day, just like he'd never left.

When the knock came at the door he almost screamed, no doubt that was a lackey of his father come to spy on him, or some other family member looking to find out his agenda.

"Come in!", he shouted, rolling over and freezing as his guest finished shutting the door behind her.

"Hello Koichi, its been a while"

"Sakura!"

* * *

Motoko felt her hand grasp air as Sakura knocked lightly on Koichi's door and stepped inside, sealing it behind her.

Her fist convulsed, aching for the weapon she had been forced to leave behind. Visiting someone in the evening, when everyone else was in their rooms, did not seem all that innocent. Especially when the person you were visiting was someone you had once pursued romantically.

Motoko moved stealthily over to the door and pressed her ear to it, gripping the handle in preparation, waiting for the slightest sound that anything was happening.

"You remember the last time we saw each other?", echoed a feminine voice, Sakura's.

"The Onsen", a nervous voice answered, "Not exactly something a guy forgets, it was quite a shock".

There was a light, female chuckle, "I suppose it was, but that's all in the past…did you miss me at all Koichi?"

Motoko's grip on the handle tightened enough to crack the wood.

So this was what he didn't want to tell her, he had slept with Sakura. Not waiting for his answer she ripped the door aside and stepped in.

* * *

"Did you miss me at all Koichi?", Koichi swallowed thickly at that deceptively simple question. How do you answer that when the person in question is either asking as your best friend, or the girl who used to be in love with you?

He watched, paralysed as Sakura stepped closer, bringing herself to the foot of his futon.

He was saved, after a fashion, from answering when the door was wrenched aside.

Sakura was caught between stepping and turning, and fell, her feet tangled in his futon sending her tumbling atop him.

He looked around her, fearing what he might see.

Motoko.

Motoko looking angrier and more hurt than he had ever seen her.

"Hello, is anyone…oh", Hitoshi put his head around the door, his thick eyebrows beetling in surprise, "Am I interrupting something?"

* * *

----Authors Notes---

Koichi, Koichi…what do you get yourself into lol. Fear not my friends, all will be explained, thought there will be quite a delay I'm afraid (damned essays), next chapter: Misunderstandings explained, and Koichi's relationship with Sakura defined, and Kyoko continues her unknown efforts to aid her brother.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	9. Chapter 8: Back and Forth

Chapter Eight: Back and Forth

"Am I interrupting something?"

Sakura coloured faintly as she pushed herself away from Koichi, retreating to a more respectful distance at the side of the futon.

"Of course not Hitoshi-san", she said.

"Of course not?", Motoko bit out, advancing on them very slowly, hands convulsively switching between fists and hooked fingers, as if wishing she had claws, "You were in bed together! Who knows what you were about to do before I showed up!"

Hitoshi looked at his nephew, who was shaking his head furiously while Sakura only looked thoughtful, her mind possibly running through a number of the connotations of Motoko's outburst in a very un-lady-like fashion.

"Don't tell me we're going to have another round of what happened last time Sakura-chan", Hitoshi said, leaning back against the doorframe to enjoy the show, "Not that it wasn't fun to watch Koichi fleeing and screaming all the time, but I don't think it would be appropriate now".

Koichi shot his uncle a fierce glare as he back-pedalled from Motoko on hands and knees.

"No, I stand by the promise I made him"

"What promise?", Motoko asked suspiciously from where she held Koichi in a rather unprofessional headlock.

Sakura stood and walked over to Hitoshi, addressing Motoko over her shoulder.

"Ask him, it was at his insistence after all", and with that she left.

"Talk", Motoko barked.

"C….can't!", he choked back.

"Why not!"

"Air…need…"

Motoko looked down and realised that he was turning a faint shade of blue as she continued to asphyxiate him in her rage. She reluctantly loosened her grip and waited as he took several deep breaths.

"You do get yourself into some strange situations my boy", Hitoshi chuckled, "I guess I should leave you to calm your young lady. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you've snuck two different girls into your room and only been here a few days".

Are you trying to get me killed, Koichi thought as his uncle left, his deep laughter echoing after him.

Motoko released him as soon as the door was closed and sat between him and it with her arms folded and her face hard.

"Start talking"

"look Motoko, what happened there was an accident, you don't have anything to worry about. I don't want anyone else, and Sakura promised me she'd lay off a long time ago, you heard her emphasis that just now", he said, messaging his neck.

Motoko's expression didn't waver.

"She mentioned a promise, I assume that has something to do with the part of your story you didn't tell me", his wince confirmed her theory, "What did she promise?".

Koichi rubbed the back of his head, "I really don't think this story will help".

Motoko stared at him unblinkingly.

"…Fine…you remember I said she was always hounding me day and night for about six months?".

Motoko nodded curtly.

"Yeah, well about a week before she left, I was taking a bath…"

---- _Koichi sank gratefully into the warm water of the onsen, allowing its heat to suffuse into stiff and tense muscles. Muscles that had left him hunched with stress and anxiety for nearly six whole months now._

_The reason for this?_

_Sakura. Daughter of his old man's cousin and his best friend after a certain raven haired little girl he had met all those years ago. A girl who after all this time was still very dear to him._

_Promise…one day…one day I'll find her and we can fulfil that promise, he thought, resting against the bath's edge and closing his eyes, arms folded beneath his chin._

_One day he and Motoko would be together again. In his mind he pictured the bath, the door opening with a faint whisper of displaced air as a girl with long black hair that hid her eyes walked in._

_She slipped gracefully into the water with barely a splash, the ripples of her entry lapping pleasantly against his back, taking up a nearby sponge and moving over to where he rested._

_"Want me to wash your back?", she asked, her voice strangely familiar, even though he had not seen her since they were children._

_"Sure", he responded sleepily, marvelling at how real is imagination made everything feel as she delicately plied away the days accumulated grim and eased his muscles with careful strokes of the sponge._

_He opened an eye as he felt her hair tickling his face, watching as the purple tinged locks shifted in time with her movements._

Purple? Why am I imagining Motoko-chan dyed her hair_, he wondered groggily as part of his brain began screaming a warning he felt her should have known by heart by now but couldn't quite place._

_His eyes bolted open as he realised where he had seen that hair a lot recently, and what it meant if he wasn't dreaming._

_He spun around, his eyes widening so far he thought they'd fall out of his head as he almost came face to chest with a very naked Sakura._

_He let out a yelp and scrambled out of the bath, covering his eyes with one forearm._

_"Sakura! What the hell! What do you think you're doing in here!"._

_He heard a disheartened sigh from somewhere nearby and the sound of someone else climbing, albeit more orderly, out of the water._

_"I wanted to surprise you my love", he heard her all but purr, jumping at how close her voice sounded and cursing himself for it._

_"Yeah well, surprise, now get out already!"._

_"Are you sure you want me to leave?", she asked, her voice deceptively innocent and very close._

_"Oh no you don't, stay back or I'll...", Koichi trailed off, he had been frantically waving his free arm to ward her off, and now his hand was pressed against something round and soft._

You have got to be kidding me!

_"K-Koi-kun?", she stammered, unsure of how to feel as he snatched his hand away like it had been burned._

_"I'm sorry! Now get out!", Koichi shouted, wondering how long it would be before someone else came in and saw this._

_For a moment there was nothing but the faint lapping of the bath water and his own breath. Then he heard it, the first stifled sob._

_"…Sakura?", he asked tentively, hearing another._

_The only reply was more sobbing noises._

_Koichi shifted uncomfortably, risking lowering his arm slightly to look at her. Sakura knelt with her back to him, shoulders rising and falling in time with her misery._

_She looked around with puffy eyes as something was draped over her shoulders, clutching the towel around her naked form instinctively as Koichi sat back down a little way away from her._

_"Why?", she asked quietly._

_"I thought you'd get cold", he offered lamely, not quite meeting her gaze._

_She narrowed her eyes angrily at him._

_"You know what I mean Koichi. Why don't you like me?"_

_Koichi scratched his head and looked away, unnerved by the pleading edge to her voice despite the indignant anger she was trying to show._

_"Am…am I repulsive to you?", that brought his head back round, his eyes darting over her barely covered form for a second before returning to her pretty face, framed by soft waves of purple tinged hair._

_"…No, you're…very pretty Sakura", he said, annoyed that he almost stammered saying it._

_"Oh…", she said, smiling slightly, "…Then why do you refuse me?"_

_Koichi sighed and rubbed his temple._

_"Sakura", he made sure she was looking at him as he spoke, "You're one of my best friends, always will be. But there is someone else I made a promise to a long time ago…I…I want to be with her…more than anything"_

_Sakura looked down, purple bangs hiding her face, "I…I understand Koichi…you love her…right?"_

_Koichi blushed a little, "Yeah…I do"_

_"Even though you might never see her again?", there was no judgement in that question._

_"Yes"_

_Sakura looked up, a shaky smile on her face and her eyes shining with unshed tears._

_"Then I promise I will not interfere anymore", her voice was determined if sad, showing just how much she believed she was giving up for him._

_Koichi could only stare for a moment. Slowly a comforting smile spread across his own features and he bowed his head gratefully._

_"Thank you, Sakura"_.-----

Koichi finished his tale and sat back silently, watching Motoko's reaction. She seemed to be deep in thought, though he had seen that she had been moved by Sakura's plight. His fiancé did have a soft side beneath her usually stoic exterior after all.

"…You rejected her, even when she became so desperate as to attempt to seduce you in the onsen?", she asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Yeah…I wasn't joking when I said you were the only girl I wanted Motoko", he was relieved to she her blush. In the absence of any observers that usually meant that he wasn't going to receive an elbow to the gut or worse.

"So then what I saw…"

"Was an accident…you know I laughed when Urashima-san told me about some of his worst days at the Hinata Sou, but I never thought any of those sort of things really happened", he thought he saw Motoko hide a knowing smile before she replied.

"Yes, Urashima had an…eventful life in those early days".

She stood and walked over to him, bending over to give him a quick kiss, "Good night Koi-kun…try to stay out of trouble till tomorrow".

"No promises", he said with a lopsided grin, "Sleep well Motoko-chan".

He lay back on the futon as she left, his mind drifting back to the last part of his tale…

_---"Thank you, Sakura"_

_Koichi lifted his head, anything he was about to add cut off as he suddenly found a pair of warm soft female lips pressed against his own._

_His eyes were wide as Sakura pulled back, cheeks stained crimson and her shy expression a contradiction to what she had just done._

_"…S-Sakura?"_

_"It's ok Koichi", she said with a sad smile, "She's going to have you for the rest of her life…so just let me have that…I love you Koichi"._

_She stood and walked away, never looking back_.---

He had avoided her for nearly a week after that; too unsure to risk going near her again, only to find out she had gone home.

In his mind he saw the image of Sakura in the onsen, next to his memory of Motoko from that night in the hot spring back at Hinata house.

"I need to take a cold shower", he muttered.

_

* * *

Knock Knock_

"Come in", Koichi mumbled absently from where he sat cross-legged on the floor, a scribble covered piece of paper on his lap and a pen clutched between his teeth while he attempted to will the spider's scrawl on the page to make itself legible.

Somewhere amongst that mess was the itinerary he had written up for today for himself and Motoko. It wasn't in his nature to plan ahead for anything, but he felt he should probably put in some extra effort after last night, and besides it would take his mind off worrying what the old man was plotting.

"Oni-san?"

"Hmmm?" Koichi looked up to find Kyoko standing in front of him, leaning forward to see what he was doing but having no better luck than he decrypting his notes. He had been so engrossed that he hadn't even sensed her approaching. Maybe the old man was right, maybe he was slipping.

That thought brought with it a wave of acid that threatened to swallow his enthusiasm so he ruthlessly stamped it down.

"What do you want brat?", he asked mock severely, using his adult-to-obstructive-child voice that never failed to annoy her.

He grinned wide as she visibly stiffened, her gaze dipping momentarily into the subzero range.

"I heard that there was a disturbance in here last night"

Koichi felt the pen drop from his mouth. Kyoko smirked a little at his reaction in spite of herself.

"How…"

"The walls have ears Oni-chan", she said mysteriously, enjoying getting one up on him. One day her brother would acknowledge that she was mistress of these grounds regardless of her age. Servants overheard the strangest things, and they always told her. Even their Father didn't hear half the things she did about the goings on under his own roof.

Koichi smiled lopsidedly, "Buses have them too brat. Hug anyone interesting lately?".

He fell back laughing as she turned redder than he had ever thought it possible for her to go. He made a note to thank Su and Kitsune for dropping by that morning, even if he had had to put up with Kitsune making jokes about him having a girl on the side.

"How…"

"It's a secret", he said waggling his fingers mock mysteriously at her and laughing as she came close to an angry pout, something so rare it was unheard of for Kyoko. If he didn't know better he'd have thought there was actually something going on.

"Baka", she grumbled, smoothing out some none existent wrinkles in her kimono, "What are you doing anyway?".

Koichi held up the ink stained paper, "This? Just trying to figure out what I'm going to do with Motoko today".

"You need to write it down", chuckled Hitoshi, waving to his nephew and niece as he came in.

"Hentai", Kyoko chided him lightly, frowning slightly. Hitoshi bowed his head briefly, scratching the back of his head but not denying the charge.

"So what did you have planned my boy", Hitoshi said squinting at the paper, "hmmm, I think my eyes are finally going".

Kyoko laughed quietly and Koichi stuck his tongue out at her.

"No Uncle, Oni-san just writes like he thinks"

"But there are actually marks on this paper", Hitoshi pointed out, causing Kyoko to hide her mouth behind her sleeve and Koichi to glare at him indignantly.

"Hey! Just whose side are you on here?", he demanded.

Hitoshi's bass chuckle filled the room and he rested a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "I meant no offence my boy, but you're one to think with your heart or your gut rather than your head. It's something I like about you, makes you a refreshing breath of fresh air in this family, and is probably part of the reason you do so well in your training".

He glanced down at the 'plan' Koichi had been working on.

"But it does mean you tend to do badly with this kind of work…lets see, what did you have so far?"

"I was thinking I could take her out to the lily pond, we were there yesterday but we were on the walkway, and there are better spots", Hitoshi nodded approvingly, "Then I was going to borrow a few things from kitchen and take her into the hills for a late lunch… but that is all I can think of, I'd forgotten how little there was around here".

Hitoshi scoffed at that statement, these young folks today, they seemed to think there was nothing to do outside of a city, Koichi of all people should have known better, growing up away from most modern conveniences until he was old enough to sneak into the nearest town without anyone spotting him.

"How about the library?", Hitoshi suggested, carrying on when he saw his nephew's sceptical face, "It contains all of our Clan's history and then some, we have always been an observant people. She might even learn something about her own Clan she never knew".

Koichi settled back thoughtfully.

"How about you Kyoko-chan", Hitoshi asked his niece, "Any suggestions?"

The grey-eyed girl looked thoughtful for a moment, "Perhaps Motoko-sama would be interested in watching the instructors? I believe there is a class in the courtyard this evening and I don't doubt they would welcome you Oni-san".

"She's shown me a few of the Gods Cry techniques, so I guess it's fair"

"Yes, a picnic in the hills, a vigorous workout, and a long relaxing soak in the onsen, sounds about right hey nephew", Hitoshi grinned at the younger man.

"I wonder what Aunt Minaho would think of you making such an inappropriate suggestion?", Kyoko said idly.

A look of fear crossed the older man's face for a split second.

"So cruel to your dear old Uncle Kyoko-chan".

Kyoko smiled and stood, "I can't stay I'm afraid, I have things to attend to this morning, our guests won't entertain themselves".

"Places to go people to hug, right sis?", Kyoko stumbled a little and shot a glare over her shoulder at her smirking brother who flashed her the victory sign.

"Baka!", she said coming close to slamming the door on her way out.

His uncle raised a questioning eyebrow at him that Koichi waved off, turning the paper he had scribbled on over, retrieving his pen and setting to work on a new plan.

* * *

Kyoko slid the door aside when she heard her father's voice on the other side bid her enter.

He paused from his work, looking up from the papers he had been going over and waiting for her to settle on the opposite side of the table.

"So, what have you to report daughter, what is he planning?"

Kyoko brow creased slightly. No offer of tea, no niceties, just straight to business as if she were his spy rather than his daughter. This helped her go forth with her plan to defy him for the first time in her life.

"He plans to spend the day with Motoko-sama", she knew he would notice that she had referred to Motoko both by name and respectfully.

"Doing what?", Kenichi said, choosing to overlook her strange behaviour.

"Nothing concise has been planned", she replied.

_Never lie, the truth is far more useful for deception_, another lesson well learned.

Kenichi sighed heavily, "Yes that certainly sounds like him…Where did he plan to go?"

"He wasn't sure", she replied evenly, knowing that she would have to offer something else in order to prevent him from realising that she was sidestepping his questions, "But I believe he wished to show her the library".

There was very little probability that Koichi would actually go there so it was relatively safe to suggest.

Kenichi rubbed his chin and rearranged a few items.

"Hmm, I have been meaning to research a small matter…perhaps Sakura would be willing to assist me by retrieving some of the texts I require".

"I'm sure she won't mind Father," Kyoko said, thinking fast, "But perhaps I can find them for you instead. My knowledge of the library is more recent and she is a guest after all".

Kenichi shock his head, "No. You have your duties to our other guests, Sakura can take care of this I think".

"…Yes Father", she said bowing, still trying to find a way out of this situation but not knowing how as he dismissed her.

She would require help. The kind of help that was well versed in distraction and misdirection.

As swiftly as she could without arousing suspicion, Kyoko made her way toward the guest quarters, specifically the room of one Kaolla Su.

* * *

Koichi stood outside the doors to the library, scratching his head in confusion. Stretched across the doors was a yellow banner that said: "Closed for renovation".

"Erm, sorry about this", he apologised to Motoko, wondering why his Uncle had suggested the library if it was being remodelled. Then again the old guy was kind of forgetful at times.

"It's ok", she said, "I doubt we're missing much…but what now?".

Koichi crossed his arms and thought for a moment. The proverbial light bulb clicked on above his head as an idea struck him. There was a training session in the mornings as well as the evening; it might be possible to make it.

Yeah, that would work, it had seemed stupid to end the day that way anyway, better to do it now and push everything else back a little.

"Follow me", he said, "I've got today all figured out".

* * *

Kyoko let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding when she heard the sound of Motoko and Koichi's footsteps echoing back up the hall, away from the library.

It had taken a relatively short time to come up with a way of keeping Koichi away from Sakura without injuring either of them, or doing something that would instantly alert her father. This way he would just assume that Koichi had decided against the library visit and think nothing more of it hopefully.

"Is something wrong Kyoko-chan?", Sakura asked from where she sat, a pile of some of their families older collection stacked next to her as she leafed through book after book in search of whatever her father had told her to find.

"Of course not Sakura-san", she replied, collecting another of the books the older girl was done with and putting it back, glancing at the title as she did so: Sealing the Demon, a particularly old tale, and the one that had given her nightmares as a child.

She observed Sakura as she worked. The older girl certainly didn't act like she was here to seduce Koichi should he drop by. In fact apart from the one time, she had made no attempt to talk to Koichi since arriving. Her behaviour was a far cry from the actions of the love struck young woman Kyoko remembered chasing after her brother over a year ago, but she remembered how confused Koichi had felt during those times and shortly after she'd left.

"Sakura-san, I'll be leaving now, there are things I must attend to"

"Oh, thank you for your help Kyoko-chan", the purple haired girl said, smiling at her and resuming her work.

As soon as she was outside, the banner already gone, she reached into her obi and removed the small device Su had give her, pressing a button on it and speaking into it.

"Su-san?"

"_Right here Kyoko, over_", Su's slightly distorted voice echoed from the device.

"Where did they go?"

"_They're headin toward the courtyard, there are lots of men there already, o_ver"

_Morning practice…Akira goes to morning practice!_

* * *

"Are you sure about this Koichi-sama?", the greying instructor asked, eying Motoko and her training robes uncertainly.

Koichi stepped forward and lowered his voice as he heard a low growl form in Motoko's throat. She wasn't impressed by his Clan's rules about women fighting and was becoming irritated by the instructor's attempts to persuade her to simply watch from the sidelines.

"Listen", he said, "She's a Blademaster of the _Gods Cry_ school, she has more power than even me or the old man and could easily outfight most of your students".

He held up a hand to prevent the other man's denial.

"Trust me, nothing you may have heard about the skills of the Aoyama sisters is a lie, you must remember the Clan demonstrations before her sister retired. Well she has beaten Tsuruko-sama", he watched the older man's face as that little titbit sunk in, "Exactly, now do you want to be the one who tells her she's not allowed to take part?".

The instructor gulped, caught between old prejudices and his first hand knowledge of Tsuruko Aoyama.

He nodded gruffly and tossed Motoko one of the bokkens he held, handing the other to Koichi.

He turned to face the others gathered in neat rows in the courtyard, Motoko and Koichi standing just behind him.

"Listen well my pupils! I have a special treat for you today. Behind me stands Koichi Sagura, one of our school's greatest pupils", he waited for the cheering and the whispers to fade out, glancing back at Koichi sheepish expression, "And next to him, a Blademaster of the _Gods Cry_ School, Motoko Aoyama".

"A woman?", he heard one of the crowd snort.

There was a whisper of movement and Motoko was next to him, the girls face hard and unforgiving.

"Yes a woman, what of it?", she challenged, eyes scanning the crowd.

The instructor glanced back at Koichi who nodded silently.

"Would the man who spoke step forward"

There was a rustling as a tall man, his head shaved as tradition dictated for a student, stepped out of rank, walking to the front and bowing to Koichi and his master, while ignoring Motoko.

That really wasn't a good idea, Koichi thought.

"You have something to say to Blademaster Aoyama?", the instructor demanded.

"No sensei, I would not waste my time"

Koichi's hand tightened around his bokken, but Motoko seemed unaffected.

"I know your kind", she said, somehow giving the impression that she was looking down on him from a great height, "Men who believe they are superior just because of gender. Weakling".

"What!"

"You are weak", she repeated evenly, "Would you care to make me believe otherwise?"

He looked over at Koichi who shrugged and smirked.

"Fine, I'll show you woman", he said, retrieving the bokken strapped to his waist.

He charged, swinging the wooden blade in an overhand strike. Motoko stood her ground, hand resting lightly on her bokken's pommel.

As he neared she moved.

"Cutting Evil: Second Form!", she shouted, the blade flashing out in a wide arc as she sidestepped the charge before returning to her side.

Her opponent slid to a halt and spun to face her, "Ha! Missed me, how-"

His speech was cut off mid-sentence as his training clothes suddenly disintegrated around him and his bokken's blade fell to the floor, sliced cleanly at the top of the pommel.

"I didn't miss", Motoko said as he gapped at her disbelievingly, "Does anyone else wish to challenge me?"

Not surprisingly there weren't any offers of combat, what happened instead was far stranger. It started with the echo of a single clap, and soon the courtyard was filled with applause, leaving Motoko momentarily dumbstruck.

"Ok…who was that guy, I mean, I know that was cool and all…", Koichi asked the instructor who was looking at Motoko with a new found respect.

"That was one of Akira's group", he responded, noticing the suddenly hard set to Koichi's eyes, "Yes he has been causing quite a stir, his Bladeless technique has brought him some acclaim amongst students and instructors alike, and this is the result, my students are adopting his attitudes and arrogance".

The instructor paused for a moment, wondering whether to ask for Koichi's assistance in straightening them out but deciding against it, the younger man wasn't here to play role model for the others.

"Come, let us continue this session before they begin asking for your young lady's autograph".

* * *

Akira stretched idly as he made his way toward the courtyard. After wondering around the temple grounds he was late and he knew it. It didn't matter, he was the number one student after all, all this practice was just polish, he had already perfected his Bladeless technique and mastered the regular styles.

He ran a hand through his spiky red hair and meandered on, unaware that he was being watched.

* * *

"_Su here, target in sight, please advise, over_"

"Begin preventative measures"

"_Understood, over_"

* * *

Akira barely stopped himself when his feet were suddenly yanked from under him, sending him plummeting face first toward the ground.

"What the hell!" he shouted, looking for what had tripped him.

There between two trees was a thin piece of wire, "What?"

He looked around slowly. Why would someone attempt to halt him like this? Did the fool know who they were deal with?

Rising slowly, Akira set off again, eyes moving cautiously.

There was a movement above him and he dived aside in time to avoid the sparking net that fell from the trees above him.

"Feh, amateurs, I-", he was cut off as the ground beneath him gave way dropping him roughly into a deep pit.

Akira sat up, rubbing his head where it had hit something on the way down, "They'll pay for this, when I find them, they will pay".

Crouching him infused his muscles with a little Ki, leaping clear out of his earthy prison and landing gracefully on the ground above it.

"Is that the best you can do?", he laughed.

* * *

"_Subject has escaped the basic countermeasures…upgrade to level two?_"

"…Yes, I suppose"

"_Yay! This is going to be fun_!"

"…Why do I have a bad feeling hearing you say that?"

* * *

Akira was still laughing when the first missile hit, detonating on the ground behind him and propelling him forcibly into the underbrush.

"Son of a-" he mumbled around a mouth full of foliage as he scrambled clear. That had been an explosive, whoever this was, they weren't playing anymore.

Another warhead whistled in and he was gone in a blur before it could strike.

"Close…"

Another missile, and another and another, each skilfully dodged. He ran through the forest that had seemingly been converted into a munitions test site without his knowledge. Endless volleys of missiles, lasers, landmines, it was like some sort of twisted movie.

One landmine sent him hurtling into the air, only a handy branch grabbed on the way down allowed him to slow and redirect himself enough to avoid breaking something on impact.

Clothes torn and bloodied, he pushed on using his speed to stay ahead of the traps.

There, through the trees, he could see it! The entrance to the courtyard, he was going to make it, he-

_Slam!_

Akira slid down the invisible, but very tangible wall that someone had placed across the entrance and slumped to the floor unconscious.

Just before he passed out, he was sure he heard two girls yelling…

"Su-san! What did you do!"

"Oops, I guess I was a bit rough on him, my bad".

* * *

---Author Note---

Another transition-esk chapter I know, but it can't all be evil plots and deep revelations now can it lol

Kyoko stepping up to the plate in full form, but will this come back to haunt her? Find out in Chapter Nine: Yasashisa wa tokidoki zankoku dakara

Oh and Alex, you'll finally see the resolution of that issue hehe


	10. Chapter 9: Yasashisa wa tokidoki

Chapter Nine: Yasashisa wa tokidoki zankoku dakara

Koichi hummed happily to himself as he examined the two outfits stretched out before him. One was a rather old fashioned set of black robes, complete with tie footwear, and the other some of his more usual clothes, a long sleeved black t-shirt with a katana drawn down one sleeve and matching jeans.

Truth be told, Koichi wasn't even looking at the clothes, his smile should have been enough to convince anyone watching that his mind was elsewhere entirely.

---_Koichi rotated his aching shoulder and shot a pointed glance at his companion._

_"It was only practice you know, you didn't have to try and tent peg me into the ground"._

_Motoko smiled and punched his uninjured shoulder, "Be a man about it"_

_"Don't wanna"_

_She rolled her eyes at him took his hand, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "Better?"_

_"Much", he said with a lopsided grin. The walked peacefully hand in hand until they reached the structure that lay at the heart of the temple, the bathhouse._

_"Here we are", he announced, "You can clean up in here before we move on to the next part of today's activities"._

_She nodded mutely and seemed to hesitate before placing her hand on the door, taking a long, slow look around the empty corridors before pushing the door aside._

_Koichi turned to leave but found himself almost yanked of balance. He looked back and found out what had stopped him. His hand was still clasped firmly in Motoko's own, and she was walking into the bathhouse, dragging him along behind her by default._

_He panicked for a second, did she not realise she still held his hand? Or…or was she doing this on purpose?_

_His uncle's words from earlier that day sprung to mind leaving Koichi gapping like a fish as he was pulled in, and the door slid silently back into place._

_His hand was released after the door was closed and he watched as Motoko began moving around the room, examining the artificial decoration, testing the water's temperature and so on._

_He wondered if it would be wise to announce his presence less this waking daydream be shattered._

_"Um, Motoko-chan, what are we doing exactly?", he said trying to sound casual and relaxed._

_"Taking a bath, what else", she said it so matter of factly that it didn't register for a few seconds._

_"Oh…Wait, come again!"_

_She turned to face him, her expression neutral but her face noticeably coloured, "We need to take a bath, this will be quicker"._

_Koichi wondered for a second if this was really Motoko, "I guess… You've never let me bathe with you before"._

_"Yes, well we are going to be wed someday Koichi, so it's ok…Besides, it's only a bath, so get any perverted ideas you might be having out of your head, we'll both be wearing towels and there will be no funny business", she said firmly, strangely sounding as if she were addressing herself as well as him._

_"Jeez, you make it all sound so fun Motoko-chan", he teased, feeling a little more assured of the situation, "Want me to wear a blindfold too?"_

_Her expression said she was considering it, so he decided to shut up and change topic._

_"The changing screen is over there", he said pointing, "You want to go first or should I?"._

_"You", she said a little too quickly, displaying her embarrassment over the situation even though she had engineered it._

_"Admit it", he laughed as he walked behind the screen, "You just wanted to see me shirtless"_

_"Hardly", her voice called back as he began to change, "I've seen it before remember. Not that impressive"._

_He snorted, "Whatever"._

_He stepped out after wrapping a towel around his waist and motioned Motoko silently behind the screen as he slipped into the warm water, swimming over to the far side so that he could rest against the edge there with an unobstructed view of the changing area._

_After a few minutes Motoko's head emerged, her hair tied up atop her head and a faint blush staining her porcelain cheeks._

_Koichi didn't say anything; he just smiled reassuringly at her. He was aware of how self-conscious Motoko was of her body despite being a beautiful woman. This was a big step for both her and them._

_She took a deep, shuddering breath and stepped out, tugging at the towel wrapped around her as if trying to remind herself that it was there and slipping into the water._

_Koichi sweat-dropped as he realised that she had no intention of moving from where she had entered the water, the exact opposite side of the bath from where he now sat._

_"So…", he said when neither of them spoke for a while, "What did you think of the training session today?"_

_Motoko thought back on it, analysing what she had seen and learned._

_"Impressive", she said at last, relaxing a little where she sat, "Your school has some unusual interpretations of how to apply Ki, but they are not totally incompatible with what the Gods Cry school teaches, I think we could probably merge the two schools quite effectively"._

_Koichi nodded his agreement, and again silence reigned._

_"Would you…", Motoko trailed off._

_"What?"_

_She looked away, blushing lightly before steeling her resolve and turning back to face him, "Would you like me to wash your back?"_

_He smiled and nodded, "Sure, but only if I can do yours, turn about is fair play and all that"---_

It had all been quite pleasant. Motoko had even let him give her a quick kiss before they got out.

Shaking his head, Koichi forced his attention back to the task at hand, and began shrugging on the robes. He may not have liked them much, but it was the sort of thing Motoko would probably enjoy seeing him wear.

Oh yes, today was going just perfectly.

* * *

Motoko couldn't quite bring herself to meet Koichi's eye after what had occurred earlier that day. 

That was something I would have expected of Kitsune rather than myself, it was almost…brazen.

'You mean exhilarating' a tiny voice in her head sniggered, bringing out faint splotches of colour on her cheeks. It was true that it had been… interesting. This was the first time she had been that vulnerable around a man since she had tried to pretend to be engaged to Keitaro, only this time it had been done willingly.

Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the feel of his fingers running across her smooth back as he washed it carefully.

She risked a quick glance at him, looking strangely out of place in his traditional robes despite their setting, whistling a merry little tune to himself, hands tucked behind his head, not a care in the world. Certainly no sign that anything significant had happened.

Motoko's eyes narrowed as she thought of the potential lecherous thoughts and fantasies running through his head at that moment and lashed out unconsciously with her elbow.

He looked at her with the expression of a kicked puppy as the air was once more forcibly removed from his lungs.

She smiled half apologetically as he rubbed his stomach, not displaying his wonder at how she had guessed what he was thinking about.

As they neared the kitchens he made a silent gesture for her to remain as quiet as possible, ignoring her confusion as he slipped over to the side entrance and pressed his ear to the thin paper panel, careful not to stand in a fashion that would cast an obvious shadow for those inside.

The door slid aside swiftly, almost dropping him face first on floor of the kitchen if not for the hand that restrained him at the last moment.

An older woman with greying hair looked upon his half balanced state with amusement for a second, watching as he opened his mouth to explain the presence of himself and his bride to be.

She did smile when she brought the basket she was holding into view and offered it to him, his face twisting through alternating expressions of confusion, suspicion and disbelief.

"With compliments from my Lady", she said quietly, sliding the door closed again to cut off any laughter that might have spewed forth had she had to look at his slack-jawed incomprehension a moment longer.

Motoko watched him curiously as he carefully opened the lid of the basket as if expecting something to leap out at him, carefully pawing through the contents and occasionally casting a sceptical look back at the door before turning to her with his smile more or less back in place.

"I guess I owe the brat one", he said with a cryptic smile as he hefted the basket and took her hand, "Come on, my luck is in full swing today, we shouldn't waste a moment of it".

Motoko thought privately that her arm might have been dislocated were she a weaker woman, as he took off up the corridor with the energy of a child on a sugar high.

He led her out of the temple swiftly, stopping only to take an exaggerated breath of the clear air before looking over his shoulder and winking deviously at her.

"Come on, I have the perfect spot picked out already", he said taking her hand again and leading her towards the gates.

Though she didn't know what was in the basket, it didn't take a genius to guess. Motoko looked up at the currently cloudless sky, basking in the pleasant feeling of the sun and the small but not uncomfortable breeze.

A picnic on a beautiful day. It wasn't the most original plan ever, but it was something they hadn't done before, and Koichi had obviously planned this before hand, a rarity in itself.

She smiled as he continued to direct her with his almost child-like enthusiasm, something that had seemed to be diminishing as of late, and she was surprisingly pleased to she it return.

She let herself relax and fully enjoy the moment, the faint forest noises, the beating sun, the feel of Koichi's hand in hers, the faint crunch of the ground as the left the grounds proper and ventured into the woods Koichi had grown up with as a child.

Motoko wondered if they would live in a place like this when they eventually wed. She wasn't sure if she would miss the city or not, but this place was quiet and serene, much like the place she herself had grown up in, although thankfully there were no turtles living in this area as far as she knew.

She wasn't sure which of them heard it first. A faint whisper of low voices up ahead. It wasn't long before both of them had stopped, ears trained on the sounds, instinctively trying to identify what about them had caught their attention.

It wasn't inconceivable for someone else to be out here. There were plenty of people living at the seat of the Sagura family, but the odds of them being here, directly in the path they were taking and conversing in hushed tones…

Motoko had never asked Koichi much about his families methods of dealing with the unwanted, but she had gotten the impression that they preferred verbal over physical assassination, and hoped that that had not been a foolish assumption.

Her hand went to her hip, only finding air. She had been asked not to carry a weapon around the premises, and had respected that request to avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness.

She glanced over at Koichi, expecting to see actions similar to his own, but his brow was only wrinkled in concentration.

He held a finger to his lips and pointed toward where the voices were coming from.

He padded off before she could stop him, leaving her cursing under her breath before following.

The voices seemed to stop as they neared and Motoko and Koichi dropped low, moving through the underbrush like shadows as they neared the location they had last heard anything from.

Depending on how you look at it, what they found was either very anti-climactic, or infinitely shocking.

There, in the midst of a small clearing, were Kitsune and Kentaro. Not anything in and of itself perhaps, but the lip-lock they seemed to have on each other was certainly eye catching.

Koichi eloquent expression seemed to ask, "Are you seeing what I see?", while Motoko's was mute.

The pair in front of them broke apart and released each other, stepping back a little as if suddenly making up for their recent lack of personal space.

"That's some nerve you have their rich-boy", Kitsune smirked.

"Perhaps", he smiled and struck a nonchalant pose, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say, you should be familiar with that principle my dear".

Kitsune barked a short laugh and shook her head, sandy ponytail swaying lightly, "You can't play a player kid".

"Who said I was playing?"

"Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?", she responded.

Kentaro shrugged a little, "Sincere things always do"

She opened one eye slightly, "What brought that on?"

He closed his eyes for a second as if thinking something through, "How long have we been drinking buddies Mitsune?"

Kitsune frowned at the use of her real name, something very few even knew let alone used, "I don't know, on and off I suppose since about a month after the fair"

Kentaro chuckled at something the two watching didn't get and rubbed at his neck for a moment, "And we've been out a lot together as of late, these past few months…You're a rather talkative drunk Mitsune, I've gotten to know a lot more about you than I do about most women, even Naru believe it or not".

"Are you going somewhere with this?", she asked sounding bored.

He chuckled again, "Of course Ms. Konno, how rude of me, I would simply like to declare my interest".

Motoko looked at Koichi who seemed to be mouthing No way…

Kitsune looked at the man opposite her with a raised eyebrow, before a devilish grin spread across her face, "I'm no cheap date Kentaro".

"Yes, both I and my wallet recall all to well Ms. Konno", he said around a smirk.

"And I'm no push over", she said, somehow shifting from uninterested to playful with a subtle change of stance, "Think you can handle that?".

"I welcome the challenge"

Kitsune let loose a positively evil laugh, "Oh, this is going to be fun, you have a lot to learn before shooting for the big game my boy".

"I'll try to keep up", he answered as she turned to leave, walking quickly, but not without too much dignity to match her pace.

Kitsune's only reply was her usual, semi-flirtatious laugh echoing into the distance.

When they could no longer be heard, Motoko and Koichi stepped back into view.

"…I'm going to pretend I never saw that", Koichi voiced their mutual thoughts and Motoko nodded in agreement.

"Come on, it's not much further", Koichi murmured, checking that the basket and its contents were safe before resuming the trek to the small hillside clearing he had found as a boy.

* * *

The servant trembled before the unspoken rage of his master. 

Though the man before him gave no outward sign of anger, or even displeasure, anyone who had spent a large quantity of time in the presence of Kenichi Sagura, especially in a place that brought out most peoples sensitivities the nuisances of emotion only accurately displayed in a persons Ki, would know that he was no pleased with the news he had just received.

The servant had the unfortunate job of reporting to his master that no one had the faintest clue as to the whereabouts of either his son or his son's soon to be bride, Motoko Aoyama.

After they had been seen entering and leaving the bathhouse together, something with had darkened his Lord's countenance considerably, they had been spotted moving toward the kitchens, but none of those there had reported seeing them arrive or actively interact with anyone, and shortly after that they had vanished.

Upon hearing this, the Lord had ordered his nephew brought before him, for what reasons the servant could only speculate, and he had rushed to comply.

It seemed that he had offended one of the gods somehow recently, as he was forced to return with yet more bad news. No one could locate Akira Sagura anywhere, nor had he been seen since he left to train in private that morning, missing the official practice as he often did.

His Lord was not amused by the news of his nephew's sudden disappearance.

He cringed as his master spoke.

"So, Akira is nowhere to be found, and my son and the Aoyama girl have also vanished"

"Y-yes, my Lord", he said in a small voice.

"…Find Akira, now, and bring him before me"  
"But my Lord-"

"Need I repeat myself?", the servant cringed at his icy tone and an unidentifiable look in those cold sea grey eyes.

"Of course not my Lord, I shall locate the young master swiftly", he bowed low as he left, he footsteps rapidly fading into the distance.

Kenichi slammed his open palm down of the table angrily, causing several papers to and the serving girl who had brought him his tea to jump in response.

How was it possible for three of the most prominent people sleeping under his own roof to vanish from sight with such ease?  
Akira, perhaps he could understand, that boy was a snake, slippery and unpredictable, but he had no reason to try and avoid detection and lacked the brains besides to be attempting anything underhanded.  
As for his son and his would be bride, they had no way to know who they were being watched by, and although Koichi had in the past slipped away from his watchful gaze, he had never used misdirection of any sort before, preferring instead to simply vanish, and why go to the trouble after openly visiting the bathhouse with the little Aoyama harlot?  
No, these disappearances were to well timed, to planned, there was another player at work, and a good one at that, and of those possible, even the guests that had travelled here with Koichi, one name stood out.  
If his thoughts were flowing to a true conclusion, then he would never progress unless he moved things along more quickly, and disabled his opponent before they could retaliate.

"Bring Sakura before me", he said to the wide-eyed serving girl, a plan formulating in his mind, a plan for direct action. If he could not move his pieces by shadow play, he would have to do things manually.  
He found a clean piece of paper and began to write. There was much work to be done.

* * *

The sun had moved down from its zenith when Motoko and Koichi began their journey back to the temple. It was not late exactly, but it was certainly later than they had planned to return.  
Part of this was the simple beauty of the spot Koichi had picked out. A small hillside clearing next to a tiny stream, whose crystal clear water churned and bubbled past, lending the place and natural music that enhanced its charm.  
They had chatted and eaten, or simply lain of the soft grass, heads next to each other and bodies stretched in opposite directions. 

The other part of their unexpected delay came from Koichi's growing discomfort as the next part of the day he had planned out drew closer.  
It was for this reason, that despite walking hand in hand with his beautiful fiancé, despite her happy smile, he looked pensive and troubled.

He led her wordlessly toward the lake they had observed only the night before, toward the willow tree on the far side, and the simple grey pillar that stood next to it, hidden from sight of the temple by the tree that had been planted at his mother's request all those years ago.

"…Koichi…", Motoko began uncertainly as he stopped before the marker that indicated the final resting place of Ishizu Sagura.

He squeezed her hand briefly as he let go, crouching down before the grave and clapping his hands together as he bowed his head.

"Mother…", he said, his voice soft and sad, "I want you to meet someone. This is Motoko Aoyama, the girl I told you about. I found her Mother, we're together again, and we are going to be wed. I think you'd like her, I know I do…I just wish you could be here to meet her".  
He looked up at Motoko with a half-smile, privately dreading what her reaction to his speaking to a dead woman would be, and caught of guard by her gentle smile.

She crouched next to him, mimicking her earlier gesture of respect.

"Motoko Aoyama, heir to the _Gods Cry_ school of swordsmanship…I have promised this man my life, and I will keep that promise. I will take care of him as best I am able…", she drew a deep breath, "Mother…"

Koichi's hand found hers and they gave each other a reassuring squeeze, both thinking their private thoughts as they paid respect to the to the dead.

* * *

Kyoko was deep in thought, her legs moving on autopilot. She had been informed by one of her servants that there was a rumour going around that Akira had gone missing. Rumours of that kind were usually disguised inquiries, designed to pluck out useful information from an abstract source.  
It occurred to her that this was at least partially her fault; she had not thought to ask what Su planned to do with Akira once they moved him, and it seemed that lapse of judgement would come back to haunt her. 

Firstly she had to locate Su if she hoped to find Akira before anyone else and assure his silence, and so once more she found herself walking toward the guest quarters.

She wasn't totally surprised when her objective rounded the corner ahead of her. Even Su's strange hunting gear didn't phase her as much as it probably should, and the dark haired girl couldn't help but wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing in the over all scheme of things.

Behind Su, pulling with all her fragile strength as if restraining a large dog, or at least trying to, was Shinobu.  
Kyoko noted off hand that the way the other girls face was scrunched up and mildly flushed with exertion was rather cute.

"Just the person I was looking for", she said, stepping to block Su's path much to the thanks of the blue haired girl who smiled gratefully at her over their mutual friend's shoulder.

"Hi Kyoko!", Su declared as energetically as ever, breaking free of Shinobu's hold on her and bounding over until she was almost face to face with the other girl, "Are you going to join us on the hunt?"

_The hunt?_ Kyoko mouthed questioningly at Shinobu who just shrugged sheepishly in response.

"We're going to track down a fox", Su said with a wide grin as if that clarified matters.

"Kitsune has been gone for awhile now and so has Kentaro-san", Shinobu explained, her eyes seeming plea for help with the boisterous foreigner that wanted to track their friends as part of a game.

"I'm sure she will turn up eventually Su, why not leave her to her own devices", Kyoko suggested diplomatically, part of her mind already working on why the older woman might have slipped away and turning up some amusing answers.

The blond pouted dejectedly, "But we had so much fun playing this morning. I want to play some more! Red is no fun, he's still sleeping my closet".  
Kyoko's eyes widened as she heard this and her hand was over Su's mouth before she really knew what she was doing. She should have known that Su wouldn't guard her words and should have talk to her as soon as she had found her.  
She looked around carefully. It seemed they were in luck, there didn't seem to be anyone about, and Su hadn't spoken all that loudly, so there was a chance no one had heard anything they could piece together later.

"Who's Red?", Shinobu asked curiously, startling Kyoko out of her thoughts. It seemed she'd forgotten that there was at least one person who had heard Su.

"Nothing, nothing at all", she said, shocking herself with how pathetic that lie had sounded.

The blue haired girl frowned and walked closer, peering at her face which Kyoko automatically schooled to stillness, betraying nothing.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, Su was merely referring to a rather ridiculous game she made me play earlier", she tightened her hold on the blond as she mumbled something indignant beneath her hand and began squirming.

Shinobu leaned slightly closer, unnerving the other girl to an extent that seemed out of proportion to what was actually happening. She could actually feel her cheeks heating, unaware that the other girl was experiencing something similar.

"Ok", she said suddenly, smiling brightly and stepping away, leaving Kyoko momentarily dumbstruck, "If you say it's nothing".

Kyoko nodded, cautiously releasing Su in the process, her hands ready should she need to quiet the hyperactive Mol-Molian again.

"Ooooo, Shinobu and Kyoko were staring at each other all kissy face", she cackled as she dodged Kyoko's grab, dancing around the blushing Shinobu as she laughed before taking off up the hall.

For a moment neither of them moved, or even dared to look at the other. If they had they might have noticed their almost identical blushes.

"We better go after her, I don't want my house destroyed", Kyoko said when she was sure her face was normal again.

She began walking without waiting for an answer, unaware of the other girl's sudden paralysis as she watched her leave.

Shinobu shook her head to clear out the fog that seemed to have suddenly clouded her mind and padded lightly after her.

* * *

From the shadows in which he had hid, the servant of Kenichi Sagura watch the two girls leave, their last exchange far from his mind. 

If he was right about what the blond one had blurted out, then it was possible he could actually do as his Lord had requested.

This in mind he began searching the guest quarters for the room that belonged to the gaijin. Kaolla Su.

* * *

Kyoko flinched as the light ripped across the dark sky, followed seconds later by a loud thunderclap that erased the steady patter of the rain. 

She had never really liked storms. All that power wild and unleashed, it was terrifying. The fact it had come on so suddenly, so quickly after the calm and peaceful weather they had had thus far…  
To the youngest Sagura, it felt like an omen. Of what she didn't know, but it promised a change of some sort, with no signs as to whether it would be a change for the worst or the better.

It didn't help that she had once more been summoned before her Father.

She could not recall ever receiving so many summons so close together before, and the growing storm only darkened her perceptions of why she was being called before him this time.

In a childish moment she wondered if he had somehow caused this storm to frighten her into confessing all she had privately done against him.

This is ridiculous, a true Lady does not fear the weather, does not cower like a child. She walks on with dignity and grace.

These were the thoughts that ran through her mind like a mantra as she knocked softly on her Father's door, sliding it aside only when she heard the familiar "Enter".

Before she could even utter a word of greeting his eyes were upon her, almost freezing her in her tracks.

"Sit", he said coldly.

Kyoko bristled a little but didn't argue, gliding to the seat on the other side of his desk and lowering herself gracefully, not betraying an inch as her nervousness spiked.

Whatever he said this time, she would be ready.

"You have betrayed me daughter", his voice was cold and accusing, so blunt and direct it froze any reply on her lips, the sudden silence between them broken only by another vivid flash of lightning.

"Father?", she asked, her voice sounding weaker than she had intended. Though it was technically true, it still hurt to hear him say it so coldly.

"You have been working against me", his voice as angry and he seemed to tower above her without standing, "From the start you have been evasive, I simply but that down to an understandable discomfort. Your servants have been helping Koichi avoid my informants. They would only do such a thing at your behest".

His sea grey eyes were like chips of steel, burrowing into her, daring her to deny the accusation.

Years of training in the arts of deception, active rebellion, a belief in the righteousness of her cause. All of this fell away as she felt herself reduced to the to her base self, the lying daughter, caught and exposed.

She tried to speak but nothing would come forth.

"And worst of all, you have attacked your own kin", the disappointment in his voice tore at her, and she suddenly wanted to confess, to beg him not to hate her. Still he pushed on.

"You attacked an kidnapped Akira", there was nothing she could do to deny it. However he had found out, it was true.

What he said next was the deepest blow so far.

"Do you hate us all that much my daughter?"

"No Father, I-"

"You have shamed yourself in my eyes", Kyoko let out an involuntary whimper. This couldn't be happening, it wasn't real.

"You have lied to me, to me your own Father"

"Please", she begged, not wanting to hear anymore as the reality of the situation began to collapse around her.  
She had thought she could bare anything to help her brother, that at most she would suffer her Father's anger, that she could handle, but not this. Not this disappointment, not the sadness that replaced his anger.  
Her love for her family had brought her to this point, and now it damned her.

Kenichi's voice was so soft it made his next words harder than steel, "Such deception, such dishonour… your Mother would be shamed to know you now".

Kyoko felt herself lurch physically, mouth ajar. She felt something warm running down her face, splashing wetly on her kimono.  
"Leave", he commanded, refusing to look at her.  
Kyoko staggered upright, stumbling on numb feet as she left.  
In her mind a scene from her childhood played out on a soundless loop. Herself, not more than five years old, watching as her Father sobbed quietly over the image of a beautiful raven haired woman, the woman she had learned was her mother, who had died giving birth to her. She had made a promise to herself at that moment, that she would become everything that woman had been and more, so that her Father and brother wouldn't have to miss her, would never be sad again.

She wasn't truly aware of what was happening as she pulled the front door of the temple aside, icy rain lashing at her face, obscuring the warm tears.  
She was only aware that she had failed, and somewhere inside, a little piece of her died.

For the first time in her life that she could remember, Kyoko Sagura screamed, and raced out into the storm.

* * *

Sitting in his study silently, Kenichi Sagura's face was cold an impassive as he looked skyward. 

For a second, and only a second, it seemed to melt into something else, something more human as he softly whispered, "Ishizu… forgive me".

* * *

Shinobu had been wondering the halls restlessly shortly after the storm started. She had no fear of storms, in fact she found them rather awe inspiring, the way they were so free and untamed, spontaneous.  
Thus she always felt a little energetic whenever there was one, amusingly it was usually during these times Su actually became comparatively lethargic. 

The scream ripped away any of her pleasant thoughts as she wondered. It was the sound of someone in utter anguish; someone who had lost something they never realised was truly dear to them until it was gone.

Perhaps it was the energy born of the storm, perhaps a morbid curiosity or maybe, on some level, she had recognised that voice, even though she had never heard it in such pain.  
Whatever the reason, Shinobu had found herself sprinting towards its source.  
She arrived at the entrance, shielding her face with the inadequate material of her Cabot dress's sleeve from the deluge of cold, wind driven water that sprayed into the building.  
Had she arrived a little later she never would have seen Kyoko's small form vanishing into the distance, buffeted by wind and rain from the outside and who knew what from the inside.

Her feet had her moving before she could make any rational decision, an almost empathic sense of the other girls suffering driving her out into the storm after her.  
Soon neither of them could be seen, even if someone had been looking.

* * *

Kyoko screamed. The storm screamed right back.  
She cursed it, rallied against it, forcing all the venom and sorrow she could into her mindless utterances.  
The storm embraced it all and returned it tenfold, lashing her sodden body with wave after wave of artic water, whipped at speed into her face by merciless winds, flattening her hair to her skull and paling her skin. 

She continued to run even as her weak legs, more used to regal gliding than hard running begged their mistress to stop, to return to her sanity or at least rest.

She didn't heed them, she was blind to everything, in and out expect her father's last words to her.  
In truth she didn't even fully understand why the approval of a woman dead before she had met her meant so much.  
She continued to run, and to cry.  
Mud splashed up beneath her, staining her legs and her Kimono equally, and water had clogged her house slippers, turning them to blocks of ice around her delicate feet.

"Kyoko-chan!"

Kyoko stumbled a little, but kept running. It was just the storm trying to trick her, to stop her from running so it could punish her at its leisure.

"Kyoko-chan!"

_That voice, it's… no, please, stop it, stop hurting me, I'll be good from now on, I swear_

She cried out as her foot struck something hard, pitching her to the ground. Mud washed over her as she skidded to a halt, numerous hidden rocks scratching her hands and legs.

She made no attempt to stand, sobbing into the drenched earth.

"Kyoko-chan!"

_Why? I already have enough scorn, I don't need hers, please, just stop._

"Kyoko-chan", Shinobu panted as she finally caught up to where the other girl lay slumped on the ground, her only movement the slow rise and fall of her shoulders as she wept.

"Please, just stop", the dark haired girl whimpered, barely loud enough for Shinobu to hear as she crouched by her.  
Shinobu frowned in concern as she rested her hands on Kyoko's ice cold shoulders, shuddering as her lack of movement allowed the rain to suck away the remaining heat clinging desperately to her inadequate garments.

"I lost it", Kyoko sobbed, finally looking up at the other girl as if not daring to believe the touch on her shoulders was real.

"Lost what?", Shinobu said softly, trying to get her to stand but only succeeding in bringing her to her knees.

"Mother, Father, everything… I thought if I could just keep everything as it was, that Oni-chan and Father would be happy…But I'm not like her!", she screamed, causing Shinobu to flinch back at the raw hurt in her voice, "I'm not…and now he hates me…Father hates me".

"I'm sure he doesn't", Shinobu moved to embrace her friend, "I'm sure-"

"What the hell would you know?", Kyoko screamed, edging away from her, "You have plenty of people who love you, what would you know…"

Kyoko looked up, expecting hatred, shock, disgust, anything but what she did see.

Sadness.

"I know more than you might believe about not feeling unloved Kyoko-chan…", she said quietly, rain slicking her beautiful blue hair over her face.

"My parents got divorced when I was thirteen, they used to bicker over who got t keep me…like I was the family dog rather than their daughter…I was sadder then than I have ever been, and it reflected in the rest of my life, no friends, no joy…",  
she looked up and Kyoko was stunned by the smile on her face after such a sad tale, "but in the end it all changed, I moved into the Hinata house and my parents came to find me, together, no arguing. Not because they wanted their prize, but because they loved me, even if they had forgotten to show it…people are like that".

Kyoko couldn't bring herself to look at the other girl's face, s she let her gaze drop to the ground between them.

"That's ok if they loved you before…I…if I can't be her…that's what they want…"

She froze as she was pulled into a gentle embrace, small hands stroking her hair comfortingly.

"I used to think the same thing when I was in love with Sempai", Kyoko had the impression from her soft voice she was smiling gently as she spoke, "I tried so hard to be someone else, someone he would love, but he would always tell me in his way, that I was better being me…that's what he loved, and I'm a lot happier for it".

Kyoko felt her eyes tearing up again and she clung to the blue haired girl like she was a lift raft out at sea, "I don't know who I am".

"You can figure it out, you're a strong person Kyoko-chan, and there are people who love you to support you".  
There was a pause as whatever Kyoko said next was blocked out by a rumble of thunder.

Shinobu shivered. Even with the presence of another body snuggled against her they were both rapidly losing warmth sitting out in the rain.  
She nudged Kyoko gently, noticing now that her sniffles had subsided that it was almost like she had been lulled to sleep by Shinobu's heartbeat.

"Come on", Shinobu urged her to her feet as best she could with the other girl still clinging to her, "Lets get out of this rain".  
Kyoko only nodded mutely in response as they trekked back through the mud toward the temple.

* * *

With some mildly embarrassed help from Shinobu, Kyoko was able to strip off her wet and dirty robes and climb under the covers of her futon, whispering a quiet thanks to the blue haired girl as she wished her a good night and promised they'd talk again in the morning. 

Huddling deeper under the covers Kyoko allowed drowsiness to pull her toward the land of dreams. Her last waking thoughts were of that moment obscured by thunder.

--- _Kyoko tightened her grip on Shinobu as she heard her say that there were people who loved her, feeling a little better.  
She listened to the faint thud-thud of the other girl's heart as the rain poured down around them._

_She felt so safe here, despite the storm, so comforted, so…loved…_

_Kyoko reflected back on her stay at the Hinata house, the moment she had first seen the blue haired girl and everything since then, her kindnesses, both large and small, and the way above it all she had treated Kyoko totally on face value, believing in her for no reason other than an natural innocence that drew the other girl like a moth to the flame after living in the moral darkness that her home had become without her ever truly realising.  
Shinobu, so sweet, so carefree…and so beautiful, even without any of the training that she had received, she had a beauty that couldn't be taught._

_Kyoko had never really been in love before, but she had no real doubt that that was what she was feeling now._

_She asked herself as the cold began to numb her body, would it have been the same if she had met one of the other girls first? Would she have fallen for them, was it something about the Hinata House rather than its guests…did she care?_

_Gathering her courage she spoke, "I love you Shinobu-chan"  
Thunder drowned out the words as they left her lips, but she hoped that they had somehow reached the other girl, and waited, hardly daring to breath, for a response._

_"Come on, lets get out of this rain"  
Kyoko's heart sank a little. Was that a rejection? Or had she just not heard?  
She allowed herself to be guided to her feet and they began the long trek home in silence_---

* * *

Shinobu stagger over to her bed, her face red and her breathing heavy. She was shivering lightly as she stripped out of her sodden clothes and the shivers only got more violent as she finally managed to climb under the covers.  
I never have been to good with the rain, she thought with a weak smile. Her head felt heavy as she curled into a ball within the covers and slowly slipped into a fitful sleep.

* * *

When morning came no one would ever really know what had happened that night, only that Shinobu had awoken with a fever and that Kyoko refused to leave her room.  
While they were trying to figure out this mystery, the librarian faced another crisis, a inventory taken on whim in a moment of boredom had turned up a missing item. A book. 

"_Sealing the Demon_", he read the title off his list with disinterest. One of the older legends, probably borrowed by one of the students to try and scare his fellows with, nothing to be concerned with.  
Placing the list back in his draw, the librarian returned to his duties.

* * *

---Author Notes--- 

Back in black my friends, sorry about the delay and the posting of a preview of this chapter rather than the full one, but I only recently got a break in my schedule.

A fitting title in the end, ne? Anyways next chapter: plans set into motion, swords clash, feelings unveiled and last ditch effort  
All this and more coming soon in Chapter 11: What was Lost

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell

PS: I recommend listening either to "What it is to Burn" – by Finch or the sad choir piece from the Mai HiME death scenes during the storm section, note, the Mai HiME one has the greatest impact, if you don't like people to see you tear up, don't read it while listening to that piece


	11. Chapter 10: What was lost

**A/N:** Warning: Mild Shoujo-ai angst and fluff here in

Chapter Ten: What was Lost

"Really, I'm fine", Shinobu said, smiling weakly up at the sceptical face of Mitsune Konno.

With warm, heat flushed cheeks, heavy eyes and a voice that was small, even for her, it was clear that the blue haired girl was anything but fine.

She was caught somewhere between happiness and embarrassment that everyone had come to visit her, expressing their concern after Su had found her like this earlier that morning.

Her head felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton wool and her body couldn't seem to decide if it was hot or cold. It was just as she had thought, going out in the rain without proper protection had made her sick, but she was fairly certain she'd done the right thing.

_Kyoko-chan was so upset…I wonder what made her so sad?_

Shinobu could still see her dark haired friend sitting out there, the rain sapping all the life from her hair and leaving it clinging to her skull lifelessly. Very much like the girl whose face was hidden beneath it, only the shallow rise and fall of her shoulders showing that she was sobbing softly as the storm ragged on around them.

She had claimed that she was no longer, if ever loved by her family, that she had been discarded because of some perceived failure.

Shinobu had tried to comfort her with little success at first…

--_-"What the hell would you know?", Kyoko screamed, edging away from her, "You have plenty of people who love you, what would you know…"---_

Shinobu still felt the sting of those words, even if they were spoken in sorrow and anger, they stirred old memories of her life before Hinata house, during her parents divorce.

Memories of a sad and lonely little girl crying out silently for affection, affection she had later come to understand had been there all along, hidden because she hadn't taken the time to search it out.

"Hey, you still with us?", Shinobu's attention returned grudgingly to the room and its occupants. Koichi was looking at her kindly, a faint trace of worry playing across his face as he crouched down next to her.

He didn't look like he had done anything to Kyoko. There was no trace of malice or grim intent anywhere present on his face or in his eyes. He just looked concerned, attempting to cheer her with a trademark lopsided smile.

No, whatever had happened it didn't involve Koichi, at least, not directly. He had a hard edge that occasionally poked through, but he had never used it against anyone as far as she knew, and Motoko wouldn't be marrying someone like that even if he was somehow hiding it from the others.

"I'm ok", she said with a return smile.

He nodded and stepped back, returning to Motoko's side with his hands resting casually behind his head.

Motoko shook her head gently with a fond smile, not, surprisingly for Koichi's nonchalant attitude, though she did find it endearing that he wasn't making a big deal out of this when he was clearly as concerned as the rest of them. No, she was musing over the number of times the girl lying before them had ended up like this. Her immune system must have set a world record by now in ineptitude, which was probably one of the reasons she worked so hard when she was well, to make up for it. An admirable trait.

There was, however, something that troubled Motoko. To have come down with this illness would require either exposure to another with the disease, unlikely seen as they hadn't encountered anyone sickly lately, or alternatively, exposure to the elements.

Taking a minute half-step back from the group she let her eyes roam casually over the room until they found their target.

Half covered by one of the spare sheets that the girl must have kicked off in the night, was her Cabot dress. Even at this distance it wasn't hard to see the water logged patches that showed up wherever mud failed to prevail.

Her eyes met with the ailing girl's as she seemed to realise what the older woman had spotted.

Oddly, rather than explaining, her violet eyes seemed to send a silent plea for Motoko to hold her tongue.

The raven haired woman frown and cast one last sidelong glance at the garments before nodding subtly and returning to her place at Koichi's side as he and Kitsune tried to persuade Su that 'playing', would not make Shinobu feel any better.

The blue haired girl smiled thankfully at the older woman as she stepped in to help out with Su, grateful that she hadn't asked any questions.

"Come on", Motoko said, hoisting Su up by the back of her collar like a cat, "Lets let her get some rest for now".

"Yeah, you take care sugar", Kitsune said, walking toward the door, "I'll be back to keep an eye on you after I grab something to eat, ok?"

Shinobu nodded as the fox girl departed, Su squirming out of Motoko's grasp and heading out after her at the mention of food, leaving just Koichi and Motoko who also expressed their hopes she feel better before retreating, leaving her alone once more with her thoughts as she tried to get some sleep.

* * *

Koichi slid the door closed carefully and turned to Motoko, "You saw them?".

It didn't need to be explained what he was referring to.

"Yes, I believe that answers how she got sick,", Motoko said, keeping her voice low, "But what was she doing out in a storm like that?".

Koichi shrugged and lent back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest, "No idea, but did you notice we were short one".

Motoko's eyebrow lifted as she replayed the past few minutes, "You mean Kyoko-chan?".

Koichi nodded, "Yeah, beside all that Lady of the Manner stuff, she and Shinobu seem like pretty fast friends, so I'm surprised she didn't show up".

"Could it be she doesn't know yet?", Motoko offered.

"No, I went to fetch her myself, she didn't answer when I knocked", he held up a hand to forestall her next question, "And I asked around on my way here, she hasn't left her room, so it wasn't that she just wasn't in. She's not answering to anyone apparently".

Motoko joined him by the wall, "You think there is a link?".

He shrugged again by way of reply, his eyes flickering down the corridor for a second, a brief smile flashing across his lips.

He glanced at Motoko significantly before looking back at the far end of the hall, where it vanished around a bend.

Motoko concentrated for a fraction of a second, long enough to identify the Ki of the lurker Koichi was obviously alluding to.

"Kyoko?", she mouthed and his head dipped to confirm her question.

Motoko wondered briefly if they should go and ask the young girl if she knew what had happened to put Shinobu out in the middle of that storm, but Koichi once again interrupted.

"I'm hungry, want to go get something to eat?", he asked, facing her so that his body shielded the hand gestures he was making for her to agree with him from hidden eyes.

"…Sure, I suppose", she agree reluctantly, wondering why everyone seemed to be hiding something today.

"Great", he beamed with exaggerated cheer, "Wanna race there?".

She chuckled slightly, "You've been hanging around with Su to much".

He paled slightly and scratched the back of his head as they began walking, "The scary part is I think your right, hit me if I ever start sniffing you for food".

"I'd do that if you began sniffing me for any reason"

"Aw, you're no fun"

She rolled her eyes as they began walking away from the blue haired girl's room, "Remind me why I agreed to marry such a pervert again".

"Because of my charm, wit and undeniable good looks?", he offered with a grin.

"Really?", she said, schooling her face to avoid smiling as she spoke next, "Here I was thinking it was pity".

He clasped his chest dramatically with one hand and placed the back of the other atop his forehead, "Oh, woe to me, who is so cruelly mistreated, alas poor Koichi, harsh is the world to his beautiful soul".

"Over actor", she muttered, rapping him lightly on the head as they rounded the corner.

"You see how she abuses me", he whined melodramatically to a pair of passing servant girls, who giggled at his antics, "Save me ladies, I beg of you".

She grabbed his collar, dragging his ear level with her mouth, a burst of insecurity at his semi-flirting making her pull rougher than intended, "Keep this up and I'll do much worse".

"Promise?", he said cheekily, causing her cheeks to colour.

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked.

"Ok, that should do it", he said once they turned another bend, his smile vanishing as he looked back over his shoulder.

"What?"

"If Kyoko wants to talk to Shinobu alone, she's only going to do it if she's sure she can do it, that means no witnesses"

"Do you have any idea how sinister you just made that sound?", Motoko said, starting to feel concerned.

Koichi blinked, "Really?…Yeah, I guess I did, but that wasn't what I meant, I didn't mean to make it sound shady or anything, just that I know my little sister. If she was hanging back like that then theirs something really important on her mind that she needs to deal with, and I don't want to risk anything stopping her".

Motoko smiled as she elbowed him in the ribs, "You really care about her, don't you".

He raised a finger to his lips, shushing her and looking around, "Hey, less of that, I have a reputation to think of, I don't want to think what would happen if the brat thought I'd gone soft on her".

Motoko shook her head in bemusement as they carried on.

* * *

As soon as she was sure they were gone, a silent, kimono garbed shadow detached itself from the wall it had been pressed against. Risking a quick glance to ensure there was no one in sight, she padded down the abandoned hall on slippered feet.

Despite everything that had happened, and even trying to convince herself to hurry, her pace somehow managed to appear measured, and dignified, if abnormally accelerated. It was something ground into her since childhood, and as it had been mostly of her own violation, such mannerisms were to deeply engraved in her behavioural patterns for her to stop after one night a loss of control.

Kyoko Sagura paused outside Shinobu's room, the irony of her hesitation to enter her 'saviour's room not lost on the dark haired girl.

True this was a somewhat unusual circumstance. How often did one suffer news that tore down everything they based themselves upon, flee in a fit of self-destruction only to be saved by and angel in blue, with words of comfort and hope.

Her hand tightened on the handle.

How often did one cry in the rain on the shoulder of a complete stranger, lost in a conflicting sea of new emotions, strangely uncomfortable in said persons arms because they felt they never wanted to leave.

She slid the door aside and stepped in, her head bowed so that her bangs would hide most of her face from the occupant's eyes, turning to close the door, leaving her back to the other girl to delay the moment she would have to face her.

How often did one tell someone they loved them…

She took a calming breath, ignoring her bodies sudden conflicting desires to stay and to flee, and turned to face her.

How often did they mean it?

Kyoko didn't experience any tensing sensation within her chest, she didn't feel the urge to rush to Shinobu's side, to break down and confess everything it seemed the other girl hadn't heard the previous night, that was what she wanted to believe anyway. The other option, that she had been heard and scared the other girl to much to reply wasn't something she wanted to dwell on.

No, what she felt was a kind of gentle warm, spreading insidiously throughout her body, but not in an unpleasant way. This was far subtler than the overblown sensations described by poets and musicians. It was almost dismissible…almost.

Kyoko released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. On some level she'd wondered if her outburst the previous night had simply been the result of an unsound mind, but this reaction didn't seem to hold true to that theory.

Was that good or bad?

Gliding quietly over to the other girl she crouched next to her. She seemed to be asleep, her shimmering blue hair splayed around her head like the parody of a halo, pale skin flushed delicately from fever, chest rising and falling slowly beneath her covers in the pattern of sleep.

Kyoko was entranced. It was like being on the bus again when they had thought they were going to crash, only this time she wasn't even holding her.

Curious, she took a small whiff of the air_….lavender._

_Does this mean I was right…am I in love with you?_

Kyoko wasn't stupid, she knew that female relationships generally did not stray outside of friendship, her upbringing had implicitly emphasised that when talking about her later duties to the family line, but having nothing to compare this to made it difficult to think of it as abnormal, or wrong. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she wanted to be able to think of it that way.

She sighed and gently brushed a stray lock of Shinobu's hair away from her face, "This is most perturbing, maybe I shouldn't have insisted on going to see Oni-chan after all, things have become a lot more complicated".

And a lot clearer, she internally voiced the contradiction of the situation.

"…Kyoko-chan?", a sleepy voice murmured, and Kyoko snatched her hand away guiltily before she realised that Shinobu had not awoken, but was merely mumbling in her sleep, "It's…ok, Kyoko-chan".

Kyoko smiled a rare smile. Shinobu was dreaming over her it would seem, and in her wishful mind, dreaming of the previous night and feelings left unanswered.

"Shinobu…", Kyoko trailed off just short of adding the affectionate chan, to the end of her friend's name.

It doesn't do to be presumptuous, she said, aware she was rationalising cowardice, something she would have been scolded for by her instructors in any other situation.

"Shinobu-san, Shinobu-san", she said softly, gently rocking the other girl's shoulder.

* * *

Shinobu was dreaming.

As with any fever induced dream it was confusing and fragmented, but recognisable. In her mind she was replaying the previous night, probably because she had been thinking about it as she had drifted off.

In her dream the landscape jumped by in leaps and bounds, while she seemed to move in slow motion, watching with fascination as the rain slid past her at a snails pace, somehow managing to impact with her no matter how she turned and twisted, rapidly soaking her dress.

In the distance she could just make out Kyoko, sitting limp and devoid of life, more like a doll than a person, as water and mud sloshed about her.

She was sinking in her own sadness. Or rather that's how Shinobu's sleep fogged mind interpreted what she was seeing.

She willed herself to move faster, calling out to her friend, reassuring her that she was ok, that there were people willing to save her.

Kyoko looked up in her direction, sea grey eyes vague and unfocused. Shinobu almost imagined she could here the waves washing behind those flat orbs, carrying her friend away.

She was mouthing something at her, but every time she began to speak, a crash of thunder would block out her words, and with each repetition, Kyoko would seem to fade a little, as if waiting for an answer to be saved.

Shinobu strained her ears, trying to make out the words above the rising wind that was buffeting her body back and forth.

"Shi—bu—an".

Almost there.

"Shinobu-san", what, what did she want, "Shinobu-san".

Shinobu's eyes fluttered open, once more forced to adjust to the room's light and relaying their displeasure readily enough.

Her peered around groggily as the vague blurs and shapes eventually took focus, registering dimly that there was only one person in the room.

Someone wearing a deep blue kimono with a pink spring pattern obi and a strangely pensive smile, if the name could be applied to a curve of the lips so subtle, on a face framed by short black bangs.

"Shinobu-san, are you awake?", Kyoko question, releasing her grip on the other girl's shoulder reluctantly.

"Kyoko-san?", why did she seem to flinch?

"How are you feeling?", she asked, looking at Shinobu's flushed face with a critical eye.

"I'm ok", Shinobu said, no more convincing than when she had said it to the others, and Kyoko's raised eyebrow clearly showed she didn't believe it.

"No, you're sick", she waved a hand to dismiss protest, "It is unwise to ignore illness, it only weakens you to allow such things to run unchecked".

"Besides", she added more quietly, not quite meeting the other girl's gaze, "It was my fault…".

"Kyoko-san", she protested, but was once more cut off.

"No, if I had not allowed my emotions to get the better of me this would not even be an issue".

And I wouldn't feel this strange talking to you, she silently added.

"It's ok", the blue haired girl reassured her, finding her hand and giving it a quick squeeze, almost laughing when Kyoko jumped as if startled, "I did the right thing, so it's ok…"

Kyoko mulled her words over, before muttering, "The right thing… I suppose that is a good reason".

She looked away from her friend's curious gaze. It wasn't realistic to expect her to have claimed to have done it out of undying love, but that didn't make the fact she had said it like it was an obligation any better.

"Did you…tell anyone", she asked after a moment, hoping she hadn't for several reasons.

Shinobu shook her head, wincing at the mild pain it caused, "No, no one really asked…but Motoko-sempai saw my clothes, she didn't say anything to anyone though, but she knows I was outside last night for some reason".

Kyoko followed the other girl's gaze to the half hidden dress, standing and retrieving it, trying not to wrinkle her nose at the fact it was still muddy and wet.

"I'll get this cleaned and returned to you before anyone knows it was gone", she said curtly, folding the garment and sitting back down.

"Thank you", Shinobu said, her smile causing an odd jumping sensation in Kyoko's stomach that if it had been there previously, she had never noticed.

For a few minutes neither of them said anything, just sat in each other's company.

Kyoko couldn't help but wonder if the blue haired girl felt as at peace as she felt like this. She had never felt like this in the presence of another, not even her father and brother, she had prided herself on being strong without another.

Last night's…revealing, events, had shown that she hadn't been quite as free of others as she had believed, and also that strength was waiting for her in unexpected avenues.

"I suppose I should go then", she said, glancing down when she didn't receive any reply, "Shinobu-san?".

The violet-eyed girl was fast asleep again. Apparently she agreed with Kyoko on just how peaceful that moment had been.

She smiled another rare smile as she looked down at Shinobu's sleeping form, the other girl's breath making soft whistling noises through partially open lips.

Kyoko wasn't aware of how long she stared at those lips as the thought suddenly intruded upon her mind, an idle speculation. What would it be like to kiss those lips? Would it be anything like the myths that most young girls heard growing up, even in remote upbringings like hers? Or would the fact it was another girl make it different?

Kyoko felt herself inching closer, tucking her bangs away behind her ears.

What would it be like?

* * *

Kitsune yawned a little as she made her way back to her room.

A very early start to the day thanks to Su busting in to tell her Shinobu was sick, combined with a late night drinking session with her new would-be admirer and a heavy breakfast had left her eager to hit the sack.

She chuckled briefly at the idea of Kentaro eying her hopefully as the night progressed, forgetting that she could drink him under the table, even on a bad day. Still it was nice to be the one being chased again for a change. After Keitaro and Koichi she was more than willing to let Kentaro follow her around trying to persuade her to see things his way, it was closer to normal, something lacking in her relationships as of late.

_No kidding, one harem situation, and a love triangle. Give me boring any day._

As she was pondering possible ways to taunt her admirer, she was nearly knocked down by a man carrying a stack of books far too high for him to see over.

Grunting under their weight, he offered her a brief apology before staggering on his way.

_Ever heard of light reading_, Kitsune quipped to herself as he continued to plod diligently on, out of sight.

The fox girl resumed her ambling pace back to the wing that housed the guests, stopping outside Shinobu's door on the way to her own.

She slid the door aside and stepped through, "Hey there sugar, how are…".

She trailed off as she realised she wasn't alone.

Kyoko rose gracefully from where she sat, something folded in her hands.

"Good morning Kitsune-san", she said, causing a raised eyebrow at the fact she had used the fox girl's preferred rather than given name.

"Hey to you to, where were you this morning?"

"I overslept", the dark haired girl responded simply, "I came to check on her but she seems to be out cold so to speak. I suppose I should try again later".

Kitsune nodded slowly as the younger girl glided past her with a short farewell, leaving her alone with her unconscious friend.

"That kid gets stranger and stranger".

* * *

Koichi slumped down on his futon. Mornings were such a pain sometimes, but at least this meant he had a little extra time to plan things out for him and Motoko, not a bad trade off in the end.

He yawned and stretched, rolling onto his back and sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

First things first, he had to pick out a new set of clothes, tossing on the robes from the previous day had been fine to check on Shinobu and grab some breakfast, but he needed to change if he was going anywhere.

He sauntered over to the closet, this time deciding to wear his jeans and his favourite top, the one with the sleeve rings he had worn the day he had arrived at the Hinata Sou.

Changed he ran a hand through his hair, allowing it to fall back into its natural 'order' and was halfway to the desk before he spotted the note.

Picking it up curiously he opened it up and read:

_Dear Koichi,_

_Meet me at the place where the three gods dwell at noon and not before_

_Signed, Motoko_

He turned it over, but there was nothing else written. The place where the three gods dwell was most likely a reference to a small shrine located about half an hour's walk from the temple grounds, he couldn't remember whether or not he had talked about it when they had been out the other day, but she had been interested in the history of the temple, so he might have mentioned it at some point.

He shrugged and dropped the note back onto the table. It wasn't as if he had really planned anything out yet anyway.

* * *

Motoko opened the letter carefully, peering at it's dual contents one after the other.

The first item, was a small note, reading:

_Dear Motoko,_

_I have a little something planed out that I think you'll enjoy, I showed you some of my favourite spots before, but there's one more I want you to see, a very important one._

_Meet me here at noon, and not before._

_Signed, Koichi_

Motoko looked at the other item in her hands, a hand drawn map, detailing a location not too far from the temple proper, perhaps ten or twenty minutes at a fair pace.

She smiled to herself. As a general rule she didn't like surprises, but felt that this one would be worth it.

Tucking the note and map back into the envelope she started to get ready.

* * *

Shinobu murmured lightly in her sleep as she dreamed.

It was the same dream as before.

She still couldn't make out what Kyoko was trying to tell her, and this only increased its importance in her mind.

Bending her fevered mind to the task, she devoted herself to discovering what had been lost to the wind, as unaware as the others of the new storm approaching.

* * *

Koichi reached his destination a full ten minutes before the time requested.

He lounged against one of the fierce looking statues of the three gods to which homage was paid by this shrine. Not a show of disrespect as one might at first think, but a show of comfort and familiarity.

It was here, in the small wooden structure beyond the carvings, that the _Sword of Two Souls_, had originally been housed in keeping.

It was a place of reference, and more importantly, of duty. A stark reminder of his obligations.

Then again, he would have expected nothing less of his old man.

The underbrush rustled slightly as someone approached, and Koichi couldn't help but smirk at the approaching persons feeble attempts to remain silent.

_Is this really how low you think of me old timer_, he thought disgustedly.

Koichi had sensed the others Ki long before he had gotten within hearing range, though he couldn't pin down off the top of his head who it belonged to, though he knew he should have been able to.

It was irritatingly familiar.

They were getting closer, the footsteps easily heard, perhaps they had decided that he probably knew they were here, and had given up all pretence of stealth as either a waste of time or an act of arrogance.

If it was the former they were about to receive a lesson they would not soon forget, that was for certain.

Koichi readied himself, falling in to his centre and tapping into the power waiting there as he had always done, his Ki energy.

He fed some of it into his senses, expanding them to better anticipate the coming attack, the world coming into sharper focus. Colours suddenly more vibrant, sounds clearer, the crunch crunch of his opponents clumsy feet on the underbrush now almost deafening.

Strangely they didn't seem to be deviating from their chosen path, but instead continued to walk straight at him unafraid.

Koichi tensed as they began to emerge into the clearing in which the shrine was located.

He felt his enhanced strength flee as shock and confusion entered his system.

"Sakura?"

* * *

Motoko looked down at the map one last time before deciding that she had indeed reached her destination.

The clearing was wide and expansive, almost perfectly circular in nature and very obviously fake.

There were a number of odd gouges and pit marks in the overly smooth ground, but none of these held her attention as much as the man standing at the centre of the unnatural clearing.

There was an omni-present sneer on his face as his spiked red hair blew back and forth in the wind.

Akira.

"Welcome my dear, I see you got my little love note", he said, his sneer upgrading to a mockery of a smile as he adjusted the katana resting flat edge on his shoulder, "And you brought along a few toys, how kind".

Motoko smiled coldly back and rested her hand on the handle of the _Hina _at her left hip, her elbow brushing the pommel of the _Sword of Two Souls_ as she did so.

"Koichi isn't exactly the love note type, he speaks with actions rather than words, so I knew it wasn't him, and to be sure I brought along some extra protection", she said, widening her stance as she spoke and tightening her grip.

"You must be so proud of your little reasoning skills", he mocked, turning to face her fully and bringing the katana to rest at his side, "Can you tell me why I brought you here then woman?"

"I came here on my own, you had nothing to do with it, but if I had to guess I'd say it was some snake-like reason".

His eyes narrowed angrily.

"I warn you woman, do not mock your betters, or I may not feel inclined to grant you a quick and merciful death", he grinned as he saw her eyes widen slightly.

Motoko was taken aback by that statement. She had fully expected to be challenged at some point to prove herself, perhaps as an attempt to disgrace her. The very reason she had brought the _Sword of Two Souls_ along was to prevent it being taken while she was distracted and its absence used against her.

She had not expected an outright assassination attempt, it just didn't fit in with what little Koichi had told her about his family.

Could it be possible that Akira was acting alone?

"Your bluffing", she stated with more confidence than she felt, "Killing me would start a Clan war unheard of for generations, there's no way any of the rest of your family would condone this".

Akira let loose a surprisingly mirthful laugh, but his eyes were hard and bitter.

"Typical Aoyama bitch, so sure of your worth", his fading smile rapidly degenerated into a glare, "Don't overestimate yourself woman, no one will care if you live or die. Besides, my Uncle already approved this, not that you'll live long enough to for that information to matter".

Motoko gasped as he blurred from sight, reappearing in front of her already in mid swing.

Faster than a thought, her blade was free, the blackened steel of the _Hina_ intercepting his strike and forcing it wide.

He vanished again and only her recently refined senses saved her from a downward blow to the skull as he blurred into existence above and behind her, Ki enhanced muscle barely stopping the force of his strike as she jabbed backward above her head to intercept the blade.

His weight suddenly disappeared and Motoko set herself, waiting for his next attack.

She didn't have to wait long.

"_Serpent's Strike_!"

A snake shaped wave of Ki rushed in from her side, phantom jaws snapping hungrily at her.

"_Boulder cutting blade_!", she yelled, swiping her sword across the other attacks path as she twisted and threw herself aside, the two waves of spiritual energy colliding and halting for a moment before hers eventually won out, tearing the other attack asunder before dissipating back to the either.

"So it's true", Akira's voice seemed to echo from everywhere at once, he was probably moving around at his enhanced rate to prevent her from tracking him, "The Aoyama line has the brute force of the demon itself…guess that just means I'll have t work a bit harder to kill you now, doesn't it".

Motoko re-established her grip on the _Hina _and settled herself in to wait. She had the feeling this was going to be a very long battle.

* * *

The Librarian looked around in dismay at his rapidly dwindling collection. More and more men came in, and with them, more and more books left for parts unknown.

He cast yet another imploring look at his Lord, begging for at least an explanation of some sort, but finding none.

Kenichi Sagura's eyes were locked firmly on the floor beneath where one of the last shelves stood, an odd, almost maniacal smile on his usually impassive face as he absently stroked the spine of the book he had been holding since he had arrived.

Two low for anyone but himself to here, Kenichi whispered to himself.

"Soon, very soon"

* * *

---Author Notes---

Sinister much, ne? Well my friends, the end rapidly nears, I figure about three more chapters till all is done.

Next chapter: Battles rage, truths are told and something else awakens

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	12. Chapter 11: Release

Chapter 11: Release

"Sakura?"

The violet haired girl nodded silently as she entered the clearing, hesitating a little as he called her name and stopping before she reached him. She glanced around briefly as if not sure she could look directly at him before walking forward.

Koichi watched her uncertainly. He had been expecting a trap, some machination of his father's, but instead he had gotten this.

But, just what **was** this? Why had Sakura called him out here pretending to be Motoko?

After their previous talks he thought he had made it clear that he was already spoken for, surely she wasn't attempting to change his mind again. The evidence seemed stacked against benign motives however. It had been made clear to him that she was his family's preferred choice of bride, and here they were, alone in the place that symbolised all of his family's hopes for the future.

"Sakura", he began as she walked closer, tensing for some reason and almost recalling his power in an instinctual attempt to protect himself.

_Do I really see her as that much of a threat_, he wondered as she closed the last of the distance between them, long purple tresses playing delicately with the light that filtered through the trees and kimono barely making a sound as she seemed to glide forward.

_Am I that weak?_

_

* * *

Clang!_

"Not bad girl", Akira said around clenched teeth, his superior smirk almost wavering as he realised that Motoko had stopped his attack and was holding him back as he tried to catch her off guard by forcing his way through instead of backing off straight away.

_Kuso! Damn Aoyama's I should have known trying brute force wouldn't work even if it was a switch tactic_.

Akira blurred as he accelerated himself beyond the ability of human sight to follow, watching her move in slow motion as she redistributed her balance to compensate for the sudden absence of his weight barring down on her.

It had always puzzled him why this miraculous ability faded at the moment the user tried to strike.

It had been theorised that it was a matter of intention and direction, that the use of Ki, passed down by the _Oni's Bane_ school and others tapped into some primal survival instinct, enhancing the bodies natural fight or flight response to an insane degree. However, humankind has long proved that they are a slave to their base biology. As with said reaction, one can only fight or run, and thus once the individual ceases to flee and makes to strike the power given their flight response vanishes and is redirected into their desire to fight, giving it a whole new set of properties, and a whole new focus. Hence the loss of speed and the resulting burst of strength.

Any man who could forge both powers into one would become unstoppable. This was part of the reason for his development of the bladeless technique, it was an unconventional application of Ki, a manipulation previously thought the stuff of fiction, even amongst the clans.

Hr had spent years developing both this and another technique he had yet to test. Perhaps this battle would be the place.

Akira came back to himself as he moved around to the raven-haired woman's rear and readied his attack.

Even as he did he could feel it. Something in his mind and body changing; flows redirecting themselves as the paths the power had been taking were suddenly sealed.

The world slowly began to speed up, almost reaching it's normal pace as he focused his Ki along the blade of the simple katana he grasped in strong hands.

He watched from the corner of his eye, the path traced by the spiritual force along his weapon, part of him awed as always by the seemingly meaningless, but intricate patterns it wove.

Perhaps they were the key…

_No, focus on defeating the woman first_, he chided himself. Had he known what he was on the verge of discovering, things might have ended without tragedy that day.

"_Serpent's Strike!_" he yelled, releasing the accumulated power as the world reverted to normal.

Motoko spun rapidly, slashing her blade across the attack and bisecting it with the grace of a dancer even as he once again blurred from view, repeating the attack a split second before she intercepted the first.

It was a move that should have caught any other fighter flat footed. A move that by all rights should have worked, if not for two details. Firstly, she had seen Koichi use the exact same attack on her sister during their duel two months ago, and secondly, she was Motoko Aoyama, heir to the _God's Cry_ school.

Rotating only her torso as far as necessary, Motoko slashed her blade backward viciously, releasing her own wave of Ki to counter the attack. Then, rotating in the opposite direction and pivoting on her left foot, she lashed out vertically with the Hina.

"_Boulder Cutting Blade!_"

Akira threw himself aside barely in time to avoid the inhuman blast of spiritual energy, eyes wide as he saw the path it carved across the clearing and into the forest beyond.

He swallowed hard, his face hardening into its usual sneer.

He would never admit it, but for a split second, he had feared this warrior, this woman.

Uncle was right, no one should have such power.

Akira stood defiantly as she stared back with cool eyes.

_Such arrogance, she doesn't even acknowledge my skills_, he thought angrily as his fierce gaze met icy indifference, _I'll show you yet girl._

Akira held his blade out before him and slowly closed his eyes, releasing a long breath as he allowed everything, even his anger to fall away.

There was an odd tumbling sensation as he approached the core of his being as all the students of his school were taught to do. However, unlike them, he wasn't doing this to find strength, but new sight.

From his position within himself, he opened his eyes.

* * *

Koichi took a half step back as Sakura neared, wanting to do or say something but feeling completely unable to break the almost sacred silence.

The violet haired beauty drew level with him… and passed by without a whisper.

He stood frozen for a moment, unsure of exactly what had just happened, or what he had expected to happen.

His head craned round gratingly to follow Sakura's movements.

She was crouched before the statues, hands pressed together and head bowed, offering a small ritual prayer to the deities represented.

Koichi almost felt like laughing but didn't. Laughing around Kami, even stone ones wasn't usually a good idea. Or at least he'd always been told that, and now didn't seem like the time to test the theory.

Sakura stood in one flowing motion, just like all the women in the Sagura family, keeping her back to him for a moment as if she had forgotten he was there.

Perhaps she had, he hadn't said anything yet, not even a wisecrack an occurrence so rare some would find it necessary to document for future generations.

"So…", he said, leaving the trusty conversational kick-start hanging between them.

She turned to face him, her usually serene face seeming troubled for a moment before an indifferent mask settled over it.

Another trademark of the Sagura women.

"So…", she returned evenly, as if it were not she who had called him out.

Koichi scratched absently at the back of his head, his attention turned back to her from his pondering by a quiet, affectionate laugh.

"What?", he asked, her, frowning as she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono.

"It's nothing", she said, dropping the sleeve to reveal the faint remainder of a smile, "Just thinking how many times I've seen you do that in the past".

Koichi realised where his hand was and snatched it down.

"Yeah, in the past", he said, placing not so subtle emphasis on the last word.

She smiled sadly at him, making it clear she hadn't missed his intended message.

She walked quietly over to the nearest statue and sat on its base, positioning herself so she could look at him with the minimum of effort.

She motioned toward the space next to her but Koichi shook his head softly.

"It's ok Koi-kun", she said, sounding amused, "I promise I won't bite"

"I'm more concerned about what else you might do", he said, his retort only half joking as a number of incidents during the time this girl had spent pursuing him came to mind.

Sakura grimaced slightly and he shifted his weight uncomfortably, trying to avoid looking at the way her eyes dropped to her lap.

He sighed heavily and walked over, dropping himself onto the vacant spot next to her and leaning back against the statue.

The violet-haired girl smiled gratefully and turned a little so she could see him properly.

Leaning back as if he didn't have a care in the world, half-lidded eyes on the sky above him and messy black hair spilling haphazardly down his face, she was almost caught up in the desire to push that same hair back for him as an old memory surfaced.

---_Sakura sat on the soft grass listening to the stream trickle gently by, watching the clear sky overhead and feeling the occasional cool breeze on her skin, her arms draped loosely around her knees as she hugged them lightly to her chest._

_"Wow, isn't it a beautiful day Koi-kun?", she said brightly, glancing down at her companion, the thirteen year old Koichi Sagura, son of her father's cousin and as far as she was concerned, her best friend in the world._

_He was lain out next to her, arms folded beneath his head, messy black hair almost obscuring eyes that were the colour of the sea on a cold day._

_At least, they were when they were open._

_She giggled as she heard his faint snores. To most people his sleeping ability and subsequent noise pollution were a source of great irritation. To her they were just one of those things Koi-kun did, so it wasn't a bother._

_In fact, she thought, absently reaching out to brush the stray locks of hair away from his face, It's one of a lot of things I like about you…Koi-kun._

_The thirteen year old felt herself blushing at that thought but she couldn't understand why. It was just Koi-kun after all. The same silly, sometimes mischievous boy who'd befriended a scared and lonely Sakura on her first visit to the Sagura home just after her seventh birthday._

_She smiled a little at that memory. It had been the start of a long and so far enduring friendship, she couldn't imagine anything that could separate them, and she was beginning to feel, unbeknownst to her, the first stirrings of a desire to ensure that never happened._

_She lay down next to him, pillowing her head on his shoulder the way she had since they were children. He'd never complained one way or the other about her doing it, for which she was glad, although little Kyoko claimed it was outright indecent._

_The thought of such seriousness in one so young made Sakura smile, although she had received the same training the younger girl was going through, so she understood where such ideas were coming from._

_She lay there for a moment, just listening to his heartbeat, but resisting the urge to let it lull her to sleep._

_Sakura tilted her head up a fraction to see his face._

_So peaceful, as if he didn't have a care in the world._---

The violet haired girl smiled wistfully at the fleeting memory, her heart sinking as she compared what she remembered to what she now saw.

Koichi looked tense, worried, as if her mere presence were troubling.

_Perhaps he is wondering what I intend_, she thought, _Indeed…what do I intend?_

Sakura held back the hand that had been reaching out to brush away the errant locks from his face and leant forward, the space between them just right to ensure that she came to rest against him with her head on his shoulder.

She felt his muscles tense but refused to move.

"S-Sakura, what are you-"

"Just let me stay like this", she pleaded as the rest of her previous memory began to flood back.

---_Sakura could explain the sensation that swept over her as she watched him. In a few years time, it would finally make sense to her, but for now it was foreign and confusing, yet somehow not unwelcome._

_"Koi-kun", she found herself sighing in a tone of voice she wasn't sure she'd ever used before._

_He mumbled something back. Something she couldn't quite make out._

_She strained her ears, trying to hear as he whispered it again._

_"…Motoko-chan…"_

_Sakura turned her head away from his face, feeling hurt, almost jealous of that name. She knew that it was the name of a girl, someone Koichi had met before her for a while, but nothing more._

_So why was he whispering that girl's name in his sleep and not hers?_

_She remembered what he had said when he was looking for the spot they now lay in. He had claimed he needed to find somewhere amazing, someplace worthy of a very special person._

_She had thought at the time he had meant her…maybe he hadn't…_---

* * *

Kyoko slid the door to Shinobu's room aside and slipped in, closing it as soon as she was safely through.

It seemed that her tolerance for solitude had taken a recent dip without her notice lately. She had barely returned from handing over the other girl's clothes to the cleaning women and giving them their instructions while they stared at her quizzically, before she had found herself up and moving again.

It amused her in a fashion that Kyoko Sagura, the girl who had always believed she was a pillar of strength, should come running to this frail girl's side after bare minutes of parting.

The minutes she had spent waiting for Kitsune to leave had seemed like the longest in her life, and her impatience at the older woman, who was merely showing her own concern over the blue haired girl's condition, had rivalled any she had ever felt before.

She crossed the distance to Shinobu's sleeping form, a small smile already playing on her lips, and sank down besides her.

The other girl's cheeks were flushed and she panted lightly in her sleep, her fever was probably worsening.

It seemed someone, probably Kitsune, had already placed a cooling rag on her forehead, but Kyoko found herself snatching it away almost possessively before refreshing and replacing it.

She felt a little silly as she did this. It didn't matter who tended the blue haired beauty after all, just that she got well…right?

_You already know the answer to that_, she told herself strictly, sighing at her own foolishness.

"Kyoko-chan"

The dark haired girl's head whipped around at the use of the affectionate term, a hopeful smile blossoming on her face, only to die as she realised the other girl was just muttering in her sleep, probably the result of a fever dream.

"Are you dreaming of me Shinobu-chan?", Kyoko asked quietly, her hand reaching out to gently caress the other girl's cheek as she continued to dream.

* * *

Shinobu was dreaming of Kyoko. It was the same dream she had been having since the previous night.

Again and again she chased her friend through a raging storm, confronted her and saved her, only to have what Kyoko seemed to want so desperately to tell her swept away by a cruel wind.

But this time something was different.

The winds seemed to be loosing their strength, rising and falling enough that Shinobu was sure she could almost hear what her friend was saying.

She threw herself at the wind in a rare display of anger as it once again cut off Kyoko's important words.

"Shin-- - -ov- --u", the wind was loosing a battle against some new force, the blue haired girl was sure of it, there was something comforting and warm out there now, invisible like the wind, doing battle on her behalf.

Shinobu pushed on again, feeling the barrier weaken, when suddenly it seemed to give, shattering like glass beneath her fingers.

Her arms flailed as she tried to maintain her balance, but she was already falling.

Shinobu gasped as her momentum was halted by something, allowing only her knees to strike the damp earth.

Kyoko.

She had been saved by Kyoko, and was now in the other girl's embrace, held so close Kyoko's mouth was right by her ear. Shinobu could feel herself blushing at how close, how intimate this felt, and yet she wasn't pushing the dark haired girl away.

This time she heard Kyoko's words all to clearly.

"Shinobu…I love you"

* * *

Shinobu was first aware only of a comforting warmth on her cheek as she drifted towards consciousness, so much like the one in her dream. It made her feel safe and loved; similar to the way she felt at the Hinata Sou, but somehow not quite the same.

He eyes fluttered open, rapidly adjusting to the new illumination, as if eager to great the source of that warmth.

As she awoke fully she recognised its source.

Kyoko. Or more precisely, Kyoko's hand. It was rested gently on her cheek, caressing it with soft, almost loving gestures.

Shinobu felt her blush from the dream return at full force, along with the paralysis that prevented her from doing anything to stop the other girl.

"How are you feeling?", her friend asked, looking at her with concern and…something else.

"…F-fine", she stuttered, unable to explain her sudden nervousness.

Kyoko smile her rare small smile, he one that changed her usually stern, cold face into something more beautiful, "Well that's good to know".

As if realising what she was doing, Kyoko removed her hand and the feelings of both nervousness and comfort retreated.

"I sent your clothes to be cleaned", Kyoko voiced as silence threatened to descend, "And Kitsune-san was here a little while ago, but you were asleep".

Shinobu just nodded mutely. After that dream and the way she had awoken, speech seemed beyond her for the moment.

"Was it a bad dream?"

"What?", Shinobu asked a little too quickly feeling the heat in her cheeks intensify.

"You were mumbling in your sleep", Kyoko said, a faint smile present as if she knew an amusing secret.

"Oh, sorry", the blue haired girl said wondering what she might have said.

"Don't be it was rather…cute", she said the last so softly Shinobu was almost convinced she hadn't heard it…almost.

The end of her dream came back in a vivid flash, and Shinobu had to wonder… How much of it had been true? Was the ending just a product of fever or…

"…Kyoko-san…", she began, unsure how to ask what she wanted to without offending the other girl if she was wrong.

"Yes Shinobu-san", Shinobu looked at her out of the corner of her eye. Was she imagining things or had Kyoko practically caressed her name as she had spoken it?

"When…when we were out there that night", she said slowly, "Did…did you say anything to me?".

_You mean like "I love you"_, Kyoko thought, her heart throbbing happily at the suggestion that the other girl might remember after all.

"Do you think I did?", she asked, cursing herself even as the patterns of her upbringing began to assert themselves.

"…I'm not sure", the blue haired girl said, looking away from her, "It's nothing, I'm sorry for bringing it up, I must sound strange".

Kyoko screamed inside. To come so close yet again…it was torture.

"Please Shinobu-san", she urged, "What is it you think I said?…Was it something bad?"

"No", Shinobu said, turning back to face her sharply, but dropping her gaze, "At least…I don't think it was…necessarily".

Kyoko kept her face guarded as she lifted the blue haired girl's face up to face her own, "Do you really wish to know what I said?".

Her heart was thundering in her ears as the other girl nodded, her eyes slightly wide but determined.

Kyoko smiled softly. Not a slight smile, or a half smile. Not one of falsehood or deception, but her first full and genuine smile since childhood as she stared directly at the girl she had somehow fallen in love with during her short stay at the Hinata Sou.

"I love you, Shinobu-chan", her voice was a silken whisper.

"Not as a friend", she added as she saw the conflict in the blue haired girl's eyes as she opened her mouth to speak, "As something…more".

Here her courage seemed to fail her, her hand slipped from the stunned girl's face and her eyes averted themselves as she felt her cheeks taking on a crimson hue.

She waited, her breath ragged for a reply, any reply.

Eventually it came.

"I love you too Kyoko-chan"

Kyoko's heart soared and another radiant smile made a break for her face as she began to turn back.

"But…not like that", her stomach dropped as she turned a disbelieving gaze on the girl before her, trying to tell herself that that last part hadn't happened.

"I…have someone that I love, Kyoko-chan…" the violet eyed girl said, staring down at the futon on which she lay.

Kyoko felt her insides go cold as her smile vanished, "Urashima-san?"

Shinobu nodded, wincing as she looked up to find her friend's icy mask back in place, as it had been the first day they had met.

"You realise he is engaged to Narusegawa-san, correct?"

Another nod, this one weaker than the first.

"Then why?"

"Because…you told me yourself, that we should never deny what we want in life".

"…Yes…I suppose I did, didn't I", Kyoko rose silently, her back to Shinobu as she walked toward the door.

"Kyoko-chan, wait!"

"What for Maehara-san?", Shinobu felt as if she had been punched and could only mouth noiseless words as Kyoko resumed her walk.

"Exactly", and with that she was gone.

Shinobu continued to stare at the door, the hand she had reached out to try and call the other girl back falling limply to the futon.

"I'm sorry Kyoko-chan", she whispered, tears brimming in her violet eyes, "I'm sorry".

* * *

Motoko watched warily as her opponent closed his eyes, his blade starting off in front of him but coming to a rest at his side as he let loose a long, slow breath.

She held the _Hina_ ready, waiting for his next move, senses extended in case he used another Ki attack.

He began to walk toward her. His eyes were still closed, and she noticed that he seemed to sway lightly from side to side as if slightly drunk.

Was he attempting to defeat her in a sword duel with Drunken Boxing?

That was suicide. Against a blademaster fighting unarmed was worse than reckless, only the Urashima style had ever overcome that disadvantage, and Motoko didn't think even Kanako could have handled her now.

What are you planning Akira, she thought, tracking his blind progress toward her, trying to find some sort of pattern to his movements.

Deciding that it was better to strike first than to allow him time to implement his strategy, she unleashed an attack.

"_Boulder Cutting Blade_!"

The wave of Ki swept toward her red-haired assailant, but he didn't seem to either see or sense its approach, just kept walking.

Motoko frowned, this seemed like a rather anti-climactic end.

As the wave neared Akira seemed to stumble, pivoting around the attack in the process, sword trailing him like a dancer's ribbon before continuing his walk undisturbed.

Motoko was speechless. He had dodged the attack as if he had seen it coming in slow motion and stepped around it accordingly.

He had almost closed the distance between them now, so she set her guard again and waited.

As soon as he was in range he moved, but not in the regular fashion. He spun, dropping low, sword carried at her legs in his outstretched hand by pure inertia. She leapt above the slash as he arched his back, the new motion sending the sword cutting vertically toward her in one perfectly flowing motion that she parried quickly before landing.

He made no attempt to stop the force of her blow, instead allowing it to carry the blade in a rapid reverse of its arc toward her stomach, sparks flying as the tip bit into the ground.

Again she blocked the unexpectedly rapid attack, raising her blade high as a quick rotation of his wrist brought his weapon down on her head almost as soon as the first attack was stopped.

He spun once more, the edge almost scoring across her shoulder before she stopped it.

Leaping back once more she prepared a Ki strike, watching in confusion as he suddenly cut his blade through a patch of empty space, dispersing a little Ki in the process.

Motoko gasped as she felt the power she had been gathering vanish, leaving her winded and dazed for a second.

"Are you impressed yet?", his mocking voice echoed to her from where he stood, a confident smirk on his face beneath closed eyes.

"What did you…"

He chuckled to himself, "You want to know? It's called the _Dance of the unseen Winds_. My own invention. Using this I can see the Ki flows you draw power from and with a little effort…cut them. By reading those same flows I can better anticipate your moves than I could with my eyes open".

Motoko had to admit, if such a thing were possible, the advantage to would bestow…

"Why not just give up? I'll make it quick if you do"

Motoko ground her teeth hard, "I will defeat you".

She glared as he began to laugh, barely restraining her anger.

"Don't make me laugh, without your Ki you Aoyama's are nothing but paralysed brutes", he spat surging forward, "Now defend yourself if you can!".

Motoko knocked a series of flowing slashes aside, each one coming seemingly on top of the others, leaving little room for any thought of a counterattack.

Every time she managed to gain some space and attempt a Ki strike he would simply remove the power she was trying to access leaving her dangerously disorientated for a moment, and after a few minutes she had several cuts for this very reason.

"Getting tired?" he taunted her as she backed off warily, muscles not used to fighting without Ki enhancements trembling slightly after their overuse, and a light sheen of sweat covering her body.

Akira was also sweating but she held no delusions as to who was more tired. If things continued this way…

Motoko's brow furrowed as she worked the problem in her head, watching her smirking opponent warily.  
Perhaps she was going about this the wrong way. From the start she had simply set out to overwhelm him with raw strength, and even after he had unveiled this new technique she had continued to do so.

She was no longer trying to fight with skill, and that was the problem.

"I understand now", she said, drawing herself upright and setting her guard, allowing herself to fall flawlessly into the stance of the God's Cry school, "I won't be beaten".

Akira's smirk hardened as she spoke and she could almost feel the anger pulsing off him.

"Know your place woman!", he screamed, flowing forward in the odd dance like style his new technique seemed to promote.

A rising diagonal slash was blocked and redirected straight down, her foot lancing out and striking him square in the face as his blade impacted the earth.

He was rocked backward by her foot, falling back and rolling upright with his guard set as she charged in, sword inching in several directions to confuse him before stabbing straight out.

He blocked and spun, repeating her manoeuvre himself only to be surprised as she pivoted around the blade as he drove past.

Both opponents skidded to a halt; twirling like dancers ash their blades intercepted each other.

A resounding clash filled the clearing.

For a moment, there was only silence. The soft _clang_ of the Akira's broken sword ending its short journey from his hand to the ground was what finally returned sound to the world.

"H-how…"

"The _God's Cry_ school teaches more that Ki attacks Akira, breaking your blade was the least I could have done at that moment, you were so sure of your technique you were ignoring the basics and left yourself vulnerable", she said, her voice a lot calmer than she had expected considering who she was talking to.

She placed the edge of the _Hina_ against his neck, ignoring the cursed blade's sickening excitement, "Do you yield?"

"Never", he hissed at her, now open grey eyes filled with loathing.

"I see", she said sadly, raising her blade for the final blow, "I'm sorry".

She swung the blade down in the terminating arc, when she caught a flash of something she hadn't expected from Akira at that moment. A smile.

His hand lashed out at her blade.

"_Serpent's Strike_!", a the snake like Ki blast tore forth from his bare hand, and only now did Motoko recall the thing he was famous for as the _Hina_ was blasted out of her grasp and flung away.

Before she could reach, the tips of his fingers were pressed to her throat, making it clear what would happen if she tried anything.

Motoko carefully lowered her arms to her sides.

It was over.

* * *

"Please, let me stay like this"

Koichi looked down at the trembling purple haired girl who had grasped the front of his shirt in her small hands and buried her face in his shoulder.

It was a shock to be sure. She hadn't been this close to him in years, ever since…

What surprised Koichi the most was the lack of conflict her felt right now, he felt perfectly at peace, and he knew exactly what he was going to do next.

Sakura gasped as she felt his arms encircling her like they had when they were younger, his hand gently stroking her hair until her shaking subsided and her courage rose enough for her to look up at him.

"Koi-kun…"

"Sa-chan?", he asked gently, bringing a light blush to her face. He hadn't called her that since they were kids.

"What…what are you doing?", she whispered, letting her head rest on his shoulder again.

"I always used to do this when you were confused or upset, didn't I?"

"…Yes…"

"Do you remember what you promised me Sa-chan"

Sakura gripped his shirt a little tighter and nodded, "I remember. And I plan to keep it…I…I just want to be a little selfish right now I guess".

He laughed quietly, "I guess we don't really change that much as we grow up huh?"

"Since when did you grow up", she muttered, wrapping a fist gently against his chest. "Jerk".

He laughed louder this time, "Ouch, you got me there I guess…hey Sa-chan?"

"Hmmmm", she mumbled, starting to feel sleepy listening to his heartbeat.

"Do you remember what I promised **you**?".

"Promised….me?", she said looking up curiously at his warm sea grey eyes.

---_Sakura looked at the gently smiling boy who had just helped her up after she had fallen and grazed her knee._

_"It's ok Sa-chan, you don't have to be lonely anymore, I'll be your friend, and do my best to make you happy, cause that's what she did for me"_---

"So…this is…ok?"

"Yeah", he answered, "You're my best friend Sakura, if you need me, I'm here".

"But you love Motoko", she said, pushing away from him and putting a finger over his lips to stop him answering, "No, it's alright, it's not like I didn't know, and I made my choice back then, which is why I'm telling you this".

She sighed and stood, walking over to the shrine that had once held the _Sword of Two Souls_.

"Akira has set a trap for Motoko"

"What!", he was on his feet in an instant, "That's not possible, even he wouldn't go that far, and besides, I'd sense it"

Sakura shook her head sadly.

"No, not here, that's why he wanted me to keep you here, the sacred aura limits your perceptions".

"Kuso!", he swore, rounding on her, "Where are they?"

"The clearing", she answered, and there was no need for her to specify which one, there was only one which would suit Akira's purpose.

"I have to go…thank you, Sa-chan".

Sakura watched him vanish into the woods, a faint smile on her lips as tears traced silent paths down her cheeks.

"Koi-kun…"

* * *

Motoko's fists clenched at her sides. Of all the ways to go, this was not how she had wanted to.

She watched as the light of grim anticipation played in Akira's grey eyes, knowing it meant her death.

She felt only sadness rather than fear however. Her death meant that she would never get to keep that promise after all.

"I'll make it quick", Akira said, his voice absent of mockery or condescension for once, boarding close to merciful if not regretful.

She nodded silently, closing her eyes.

_Koi-kun…_

_Motoko-chan!_

The voice of her beloved ripped through her mind snapping her eyes wide as she felt something pulse at her side.

Her eyes travelled down to the snakeskin pommel at her side and the forgotten _Sword of Two Souls_. For the briefest of instances, she believed she could see a faint yellow cord tying herself to the chain on the sheath and to something out there in the forest.

_Koi-kun?_

Motoko suddenly knew how to save herself.

She looked back at Akira, whose expression seemed dazed, as if the pulse she had felt were playing havoc with his senses, and perhaps it was with his demonstrated ability.

Not wasting time, Motoko struck, her left hand knocking his aside as the right thundered out in an uppercut to the stomach which drove the wind out of his lungs as it propelled him back.

Her hand was on the hilt of the sword in a flash and pulling the blade that no one man can wield free without a whisper of protest.

She saw Akira's eyes widen in disbelief and fear.

"_Cutting Evil: Second Form_!"

Akira's head flew back, impacting the ground first as his body struck and bounced to rest.

Motoko returned the blade to its scabbard, marvelling at the feel and craftsmanship of the weapon as she did so. Was that what Koichi had felt in his battle with her sister?

She bent to check on Akira. He was unconscious and his shirt was gone, but he was otherwise fine.

A rustling announced a new presence and she smiled as she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

* * *

Kenichi felt Akira's Ki fade. Not vanish as if he had been killed, but fade and become inactive.

_Worthless child_, he thought, but then again he hadn't really expected him to succeed in the first place, he was merely a tool to keep his idiot son and the Aoyama girl busy while he enacted his real plan.

Kenichi stepped back to admire his handiwork. The symbols around the stone disc that was embedded beneath the libraries floor had been rearranged exactly as the book instructed, and all the necessary items prepared.

The Lord of the_ Oni's Bane_ school lifted the ceremonial dagger, placing it above his palm and making a small incision. He turned his hand over above the disc and watched as several drops of the life fluid fell onto the Kanji inscribed on the centre of the disc.

Hastily wrapping a scrap of cloth around his wound, he retrieved his staff from where it lay against the nearby wall and fell into his centre, drawing up every scrap of power he could muster and forcing into the staff and the symbols now engraved upon it.

They lit up with an eerie white light as his Ki flowed into them.

He held the staff high above his head, his glare barring down upon the disc before him. The seal.

"I, Kenichi Sagura, Lord and Master of the _Oni's Bane_ school of swordsmanship, command you! Arise!", he slammed the staff home and everything turned to white.

* * *

"Motoko-chan!", Koichi cried out, his lungs and legs burning from running all this way as his eyes desperately searched for any sign of her. He had heard her calling out to him somehow, and feared the worst.

He finally found her, crouched over the unconscious body of a shirtless and battered, but unfortunately very much alive Akira.

After he'd checked on her he'd probably beat Akira back to consciousness then beat him till he passed out again, but right now his priority was Motoko.

"Motoko-chan!"

She stood and turned to face him, smiling warmly, "And finally my knight arrives, a little late as always but it's the thought that counts".

Koichi stood there for a moment, mouth ajar as he worked her comment and light hearted tone over.

"What…happened here"

"He tried to kill me", she said, giving Akira a nudge with her foot, "But I dealt with it".

Koichi's eyes hardened murderously as he walked toward his cousin's prone form, "Oh really".

Motoko's hand on his chest restrained him, "It's over Koi-kun"

"He could have hurt you", Koichi growled looking over the numerous small cuts she had received during the fight, "He did hurt you".

Again her hand stopped him.

"But I still won, because I had you fighting with me", she tapped the hilt of the _Sword of Two Souls_ meaningfully.

"You mean…"

"Yes, you're not the only one to have used it anymore my love"

Koichi's shoulder's sagged, "How will I explain this to my fan-club?"

"You have a club now?", she asked, reassured by the return of his humour.

"But of course".

Her reply was cut off as they both a huge wave of Ki.

This was not an ordinary feeling, it washed over them in acid waves, burning and freezing, making their stomach's heave in revulsion.

Koichi looked up to ask Motoko if she could feel it too and found her staring at something in horror.

He followed her gaze and swallowed thickly.

Coming from the direction of the temple was a thick beam of white light, but there was nothing welcoming about it, and the sky it pierced was rapidly turning black, storm clouds brewing around it as if it were tainting the very sky itself.

* * *

Kenichi struggled to see through the light, he could just about make something out. He screwed his eyes up tighter together, the vague shape coming into focus.

As soon as he saw it he knew this was what he had been looking for, exactly what the books had predicted.

"This is it", he laughed, "The end of the Aoyama line!"

A deafening roar drowned out everything else.

* * *

---Author Notes---

And there you have it, I hope that was worth the wait while I was trying to complete this around a small mountain of essays and so on. So what have we here? Sakura's ratings probably went up, Alex is now screaming and out for my blood lol and in case you hadn't guessed already, Kenichi is a very bad man…right?

Next chapter will probably be the last so stick around for Chapter 12: Kaza

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	13. Chapter 12: Kaza

**A/N**: Almost there folks, enjoy

Chapter 12: Kaza

The first rumble caught Kyoko off balance. Her mind far from where she was going the tremor robbed her legs from under her and deposited her squarely on her rear with an uncharacteristic yelp of surprise.

"What in the heavens?"

Another rumble, deeper, almost menacing shook the building to it's foundations, ceiling beams creaking ominously above her.

She held her breath as this to passed and the building settled back into a tense, uneasy silence.

_An earthquake_, she wondered, standing and dusting her kimono off, _Surely not, I don't recall such a thing happening before_.

As if to remove all doubt, a third tremor, the largest yet threatened to return her to the ground once more and only a steadying hand on a nearby wall thwarted its intensions.

_I have to get out, this structure is not sound enough to withstand something like this_.

She had managed a half-step before another thought caught up to her: _Shinobu!_

In her current state there was no guarantee she would be able to escape unassisted. Horrid images of a blue haired angel buried beneath aging mounts of wood and stone flashed through Kyoko's mind in an instant.

She dithered. In one direction was the swiftest way out, and in the other lay the guest quarters and Shinobu.

_Should I go back? Surely the others wouldn't leave without her._

Only Kyoko had no idea where the other residents of the Hinata Sou were at that moment. What if they arrived to late to help, or assumed like she that someone else would help?

Could she live with herself if anything happened to the other girl?

Briefly the memory of what the blue haired girl had told her minutes ago flashed through her mind, leaving a fresh trail of anger and bitterness.

Could she leave her behind?

Kyoko cursed for possibly the first time in her life as she found herself running full speed toward the other girl's room.

The ground shook, attempting to dissuade her from her goal but somehow she found herself outside the room a large part of her recent life seemed to reside around.

She threw the door aside and made to enter.

She stumbled as something fell into her from the other side, something light but unsteady on its feet. Something with blue hair that smelled like lavender.

Her arms moved instinctively to support the new weight, drawing the other girl into an unconscious semi-embrace.

Shinobu turned fear widened violet eyes up to regard her saviour, hands clutching the front of Kyoko's kimono as if that would stop the earthquake.

Recognition finally dawned on her pink tinged face, "Kyoko-chan?".

Kyoko didn't answer right away, she was wondering, perhaps selfishly, perhaps not even consciously, just how long she could make this moment last.

_Is she blushing…because of me_, even as this thought entered she dismissed it roughly. The other girl still had a low-grade fever; she could almost feel the heat from it.

"Are you unharmed Maehara-san?", she asked neutrally, with some effort forcing her reluctant arms to release the other girl enough that she was only providing minimum support.

Shinobu's eyes seemed to sadden for a second and Kyoko felt an unwilling wrench in her gut.

"I'm ok", she said, adverting her gaze guiltily and Kyoko was sickened to realise she was almost pleased by the other girl's behaviour.

"Come on", she said, moving around to Shinobu's side and supporting the shaky girl as best she could, "We have to get out of here. The temple was not build to survive something like this".

As if to support her statement, another tremor left the walls groaning dangerously.

She felt Shinobu cling to her for a second shivering and angrily stamped down another surge of happiness. The other girl had made herself perfectly clear.

Together they began to make their way through the building, stabilising each other every time the building shook.

"Hey!" Kitsune's voice called out from behind them and they paused long enough for the fox girl and her companions; Su and Kentaro, to catch up.

"What's going on here?"

"I don't know", Kyoko said briskly, ignoring the older woman's taken aback expression and the disapproving way Shinobu glanced at her, "But we should get out of the building before it falls down around our ears".

Kitsune nodded stiffly as Su and Kentaro caught up.

"Hiyas, you two really think this is the time for that?", Su asked when she saw Shinobu and Kyoko, her cheer seemingly unimpeded by the threat of having the temple collapse on top of them all.

She shrank back a little at the glare Kyoko turned on her.

"Sorry, just making conversation", she said, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

"As amusing as this all is", Kentaro interjected, his voice strained, "Perhaps we should get out of here before we all die!".

"Yeah, less yacking, more running", Kitsune agreed, "Kentaro, can you carry Shinobu? It'll be faster if she's still hasn't got her legs back yet".

"Sure", he answered impatiently, stepping forward to retrieve the blue haired girl…only to find her drawn away from his grasp by a cool faced Kyoko.

"I have her", she said simply, resisting the urge to swallow and fighting to maintain an impassive façade in face of her sudden burst of possessiveness.

She refused to look at Su who was rubbing her chin thoughtfully, a sly grin spreading across her face and watched as Kitsune and Kentaro looked at each other and shrugged.

"It's ok", Shinobu's quiet voice broke the awkward tension that had developed, "I can make it like this".

Kyoko stole a glance at the other girl but her face was turned away from her gaze.

"Fine, fine, let's go already", Kentaro growled, motioning frantically for everyone to get moving.

The group set off as fast as they were able, Kyoko and Shinobu lagging slightly at the rear.

As they made their escape, Kyoko couldn't help but replay Shinobu's last words in her mind: _"I can make it like this"_

Why did it sound, for a second, like there had been something there?

* * *

Motoko and Koichi ran silently, each of the Special Art's Bladmasters focused only on their goal. The pillar of unholy light that rose from the Sagura Temple, piercing and corrupting the sky.

At Motoko's hip, the _Hina_, retrieved after her battle with Akira sheaved and ready, was screaming in demonic ecstasy at the aura that emanated from that light, threatening to wash away Motoko's own consciousness even though it was still sheathed.

At Koichi's hip, the _Sword of Two Souls_ rattled restlessly, as if encouraging its owner to turn in the opposite direction and not stop running.

Without speaking, both warriors dipped into their Ki, enhancing their muscles and increasing their speed, drawing ever closer to the temple and the light.

They came to a halt as they made out figures emerging from the temple entrance into the courtyard.

"Motoko! Koichi!", Kitsune called, waving to them as they came to a stop, "You're ok, do you know what's going on with all the tremors, and- What the hell is that!"

The fox girl had turned around to check that the others had followed her out safely and spotted the towering white beam thrusting its way skyward. How she had missed its presence when she had been in the building it originated from neither Motoko or Koichi could fathom.

"We're not sure", Motoko said as the remainder of their group drew level with them, sparing a curious glance at Kyoko and Shinobu, "But it's not good whatever it is".

"No kidding", Kentaro said sarcastically, crossing his arms, "But that doesn't help us much".

Koichi's reply was cut off by a deep laugh, similar to Hitoshi's but with a cold and menacing undertone that burrowed beneath the listeners skin.

"I must confess, I'm disappointed", Kenichi said, stepping out of the shadows around the main entrance as if the shaking ground and impromptu light show were of secondary importance to whatever was going through his mind at the moment, "I know your ignorance my son, but Kyoko, I had thought you at least could put two and two together, especially with the memory so vivid in your mind".

The dark haired girl glared at the man she called father from where she supported Shinobu, her mouth opening to ask him something even as realisation dawned on her face.

Those gathered watched with a sinking feeling of dread in their stomachs as Kyoko's usually impassive face, transformed into a mask of absolute terror, "No…you couldn't, it's just a story".

"All tales are based in truths my daughter, and this is no exception", Kenichi's grin was chilling, nothing like the carefree smile his son usually sported.

"What are you up to this time old man?", Koichi ground out angrily, stepping between his Father and his Sister, his hand hovering over the pommel of his sword.

The two Sagura men stared at each other unspeaking, cold sea grey eyes, as hard as steel clashing wordlessly.

Kenichi chuckled mirthlessly, "Perhaps you really are my son".

"I'm nothing like you", Koichi spat, only seeming to amuse Kenichi further.

"If only you knew", he whispered cryptically.

"You want to know my boy? What is going to happen this day?", he asked almost lazily, "Today is the end. The end of the Aoyama line, the end of false power".

Motoko whipped the _Hina_ free, hands shaking with anger as she levelled the blackened blade at Kenichi, "How dare you besmirch the honourable name of my family".

"Honourable?", he asked mockingly, "Let me tell you a tale young Aoyama. Do you know the story chronicled by the Sagura Clan known as _Sealing the Demon_?".

"What does this have to do with-", Koichi was cut off by a sharp gesture from his father.

"Many centuries ago, when the Clans were first formed and Oni roamed these lands unhindered, there was a small upstart family who believed they could destroy all of the nightmares that plagued our land single handed", he levelled an accusing finger at Motoko, "That family, was the Aoyama line. Acknowledged as skilful but weak, the head of their line at the time sort a way to make his family stronger".

"I know this tale", Motoko bit out irritably, "Every member knows about Takumi Aoyama, the founder of the _God's Cry_ school, who developed the style we still use today to make his line stronger".

"Wrong", Kenichi said, that simple word left to echo around the courtyard for a moment, "That is part of the lie your line invented to hide its shame. Shall I tell you what really happened? Takumi Aoyama sort out a particularly strong Oni, one rumoured to grant favours for a price. Meeting with it he made a bargain, unsurpassed spiritual power for his line…and in return, he was to serve the Oni for eternity".

Motoko shook her head fiercely, "You're wrong! That's a lie, my family has exterminated Demons for centuries, we would never make a deal with them!".

"That's where you're wrong little girl, the Sagura Clan, descended from a line of priests, observed it all, including Takumi's betrayal of his Oni master, the same Oni who in his rage, had to be sealed by my family to put a stop to the devastation he caused. With their new power Takumi's Clan rose to the head of the others, untouchable and unpunished for their crimes".

Kenichi looked around at the sea of disbelieving faces before him.

"I see we still have some doubters. That is fine, it will all be over soon. The Sagura Clan sealed him, and the Sagura Clan can release him".

Koichi glanced back as he heard Kyoko muttering a panicked prayer.

"The Aoyama's shall pay for their betrayal…and I will loose no one else", he said his face softening for a moment before becoming even harder, "Come forth Oni, I Kenichi Sagura, release the final seal. Arise dark lord, YAZUROPH!".

Koichi and Motoko doubled over, gagging violently as the blazing beacon behind them intensified, temporarily blinding everyone and the…vanishing.

When everyone could see once more there was a new figure in their midst.

Knelt before Kenichi was a man. Wearing only a simple pair of baggy brown pants, spun from some sort of rough material, his waist length silver hair settled around him like a cloak he seemed perfectly at piece.

Slowly his head rose, revealing even to those who stood behind him, the two bleach bone horns that stood out from his forehead.

"Can you hear me, Yazuroph?", Kenichi asked, his voice firm for a man talking to a creature that resonated a sickly dark aura to those sensitive.

"**I hear mortal**", came the reply, barely at normal conversational level, and smooth, like that of a man of high birth.

"I have released you so that you may take your revenge on the traitors, the Aoyama line…do you understand?"

"**I understand Lord Sagura**", the demon intoned, something about its voice putting all those gathered on edge.

Kenichi smiled another soulless grin, "Excellent"

He turned his focus back to his audience when the creature began to stand. Slowly, with the grace of an athlete it drew itself up to its full height.

"**I understand all to well**", it spoke, its voice tinged with malicious amusement, "**However, I have a score to settle with your line also**".

Faster than the stunned master of the _Oni's bane_ school could react, the creature breezed forward, its clawed hand grasping him by the throat and lifting the bigger built man as if he were a child.

"**Die, mortal**", with a contemptible flick of the wrist, Yazuroph hurled the head of the Sagura family aside, sending him crashing into the front wall of the temple with a sickening crack.

Kenichi slumped without a sound to the ground, and lay very still.

Yazuroph yawned and stretched, cracking joints and vertebrae unused in centuries, claws tapping thoughtfully against his chin as he turned to regard his next victims.

Koichi felt cut off from his body as he starred at his father's corpse.

This isn't happening, this can't really be happening

Behind him he heard Shinobu calling desperately to Kyoko as the other girl slumped to the ground, her own sea grey eyes likewise locked on their father's body.

"Bastard…", his voice was small, smaller than he had ever heard it, but his anger was growing by the second, fuelled by the silent tears he saw in his little sister's eyes.

There was a rasp of steel on wood as he drew the Sword of Two Souls, eyes hard and unforgiving, "Bastard".

"**My name**", the Demon said, regarding him with little interest, "**Is Yazuroph**"

"Like I care", he spat back, settling into a ready stance, blade tip pointing at the creature's chest.

Yazuroph looked him over before shaking his head, "Weakling, I have no interest in the likes of you".

Koichi growled low in his throat as the Demon's gaze swept passed him and the others before coming to rest on Motoko.

The monster's eyes narrowed as they locked with Motoko's, driving her an involuntary step back.

"**Aoyama**", it said, its voice darker than before, "**A pretty one too. Though the women of your line always were…it will be such a shame to destroy you**"

"_Serpent's Strike_!"

Yazuroph looked up irritated, batting the snake like wave of spiritual power Koichi had unleashed at him away with one clawed hand, "**I thought I had told you, you are of no concern to me boy**".

"Well I'm making myself your concern", Koichi said mimicking the creature's accent.

The Demon sighed dramatically, flexing his claws, "**If you are really that eager to die…**"

"_Boulder cutting blade_!", Motoko chose then to add her own opinion.

This time the Oni was forced to side step the attack, glaring at Motoko as she readied another attack, sending a second wave hot on the heels of the first.

Koichi added another strike of his own before blurring from sight.

Yazuroph growled angrily as he grasped Motoko's attack between both hands bringing his inhuman strength to bare and wrestling it into submission, banishing it in time to swat aside the wave of power launched by Koichi.

He spun, claws slashing across the space that Koichi's blade reappeared in and deflecting it.

Pain blossomed across his arm as Motoko scored a cut along his shoulder.

With a roar he spun, his fist launching Motoko backward as his foot did the same for Koichi.

Koichi and Motoko back flipped as one, driving back in with twin cries from different angles, blades sweeping in hard.

The Demon twisted, grabbing the swords with its bare hands and tugging, hurling the blademasters aside as they tried to cling to their respective weapons.

Twisting in mid-air Motoko and Koichi landed gracefully, both privately shocked that they had been tossed around so easily.

Yazuroph regarded them imperiously as the wound on his shoulder slowly sealed shut, leaving perfect, unblemished skin once more.

"**This could grow tiresome**".

"Agreed", Koichi said, drawing the creature's attention as Motoko tensed to attack once more.

"_Serpent's Strike_!"

"_Boulder Cutting Blade_!"

Koichi watched as their attacks were once again blocked, Motoko's with greater effort than his own.

He fell into to his centre, looking for that pulsing light he knew to be Motoko…

He staggered as he found a ragging fire instead of the usual, serene pool he had expected to find.

_Damn, Motoko is using her Ki to fight so I can't draw any of it!_

"Motoko, fall back!", he shouted, glancing down at the _Sword of Two Souls_ to convey what he intended, driving the sword point into the ground. His fiancé nodded reluctantly, leaping back as the creature back to advance on her.

Almost at once he felt her Ki settle into the calm, malleable form he remembered from the fight with Tsuruko.

Drawing as much as he dared to supplement his own he sent it out into his blade, watching through closed eyes as the blade shot free of the ground.

Koichi blurred forward, a grin on his face as the Demon spun to regard the sudden burst of powerful Ki he undoubtedly felt building behind him.

Too slow, Koichi thought victoriously.

"_Steel Cutting Rose_!"

The twister of power roared forth from the tip of his blade, hurling discharges of power in all directions, barrelling in toward its target.

Koichi grinned in grim anticipation as the tornado converged on the Demon's position.

_No where to run_

Yazuroph raised his hands above his head, eyes narrowed, "**You think to much of yourself little human!**"

As the twister neared he slammed both clawed hands down upon it. Sound vanished for an instant before being replaced with a tortured shriek as the twister of spiritual power was turned back on its owner.

"**You think you can beat me using her power! I gave her family its strength, and I can take it away**".

Koichi felt his grip on his sword loosening as his doom tore towards him with a cry like an angry god.

He couldn't even generate this power alone, so there was no way he could stop it.

He looked sadly at Motoko, trying to mouth an apology as he saw her eyes widening in horror.

* * *

Kyoko was only peripherally aware of the fight between Motoko, her brother and the Demon her Father had summoned. The same demon that had killed him.

She was barely able to hear Shinobu calling her name, couldn't really feel her shaking or hugging her, trying to snap her out of it.

Time stopped until she heard Motoko's shout, desperate and panicked it snapped her back to reality in time to see the ravaging winds of spiritual energy bearing down on her brother.

Her brother.

She had lost her Mother before she knew her, lost her Father seemingly to his own brewing madness, and Shinobu before she had even possessed her.

If she lost Koichi as well…what was the point in going on?

With a strength she didn't know she possessed, she tore free of Shinobu's grasp, her small legs pounding up and down, carrying her, to her eyes, agonisingly slowly toward her goal.

She heard Koichi's startled gasp mingled with her own as her arms closed around him. She couldn't remember how she had managed to cover all that distance so quickly but it didn't matter.

She was here with her family for it all to end.

She was dimly aware of Shinobu screaming something as the winds drew closer, their hateful cry obscuring everything else.

"Oni-chan"

The winds hit and the world disappeared.

* * *

Kyoko was aware that she was floating.

Nothing else permeated her mind, just this sense that somehow, somewhere, she was floating.

What was she floating in? She couldn't tell. Her body wasn't sending her any other information. At that moment she couldn't have told you if she was hurt or unharmed, warm or cold, was she lying down or standing up?

These were all mysteries to Kyoko.

_Does that mean I'm really dead this time_, she wondered.

Kyoko tried to take a deep breath, but she didn't seem to have any lungs.

This didn't panic her as much as she felt it should.

_Aren't people usually scarred of death_, she mused.

That was true, your average person usually held a deep base fear of the end, so why didn't she? Wasn't she normal.

An image flickered in the nothingness, a girl with a radiant smile and bright blue hair.

_I'm not normal_, she thought, but there was no sadness, no bitterness behind the thought, only a kind of resignation, _Is that why I'm here_?

Kyoko felt the air forced from her lungs as she struck the ground.

Her sea grey eyes snapped open and she looked around frantically finding only white, a rush of fear and adrenaline pouring into her mind as her body returned.

_Eyes, sight, body, touch, fear, disorientation…what…what is happening to me?_

"Hello", her voice was almost unrecognisable. Tight and vulnerable it was disgusting to the part of her which recalled what she had tried to mould herself into being.

"Is anyone there!", desperation tinged her voice, making it waver weakly. It was as if someone had found the off switch for her inner strength and pushed it ruthlessly.

That was right, there was no one coming was there. Everyone was already gone, dead. Did that mean she would still be alone even now? Wasn't she dead as well, or was this some new hell?

Kyoko leant back, her head falling back with the motion and her hand moving to support her.

_So this is it, alone forever._

Her hand brushed against something warm and bulky and she let her head roll lethargically in that direction, idly wondering what had been placed there to torment her.

Her eyes widened as the first thing she saw was a mop of thick, messy black hair, connected to a black clad body clutching a katana with a snakeskin pommel tightly in one hand.

"…Oni-chan?", she breathed, not daring to allow her hopes up, turning onto all fours next to him and touching him carefully lest he vanish.

When she was sure that he wouldn't disappear she rocked his shoulder gently, "Oni-chan?"

He didn't respond, in fact if not for the slow rise and fall of his chest he might have been dead.

"Oni-chan?", she spoke louder, shaking him more vigorously, but he remained still, impervious to her desperate pleas.

"Oni-chan", she croaked as her weak voice began to fail, leaving her sounding almost childlike, "Oni-chan…please…wake up".

Kyoko felt her shoulders slump. She just had to ask what life would do to her next didn't she. This was it, eternity alone despite being in company.

_Just like the rest of my life to date._

The first drop of moisture to strike her hands startled her. Pale hands traced the drops back up to her face where they ran from her eyes uninhibited.

I've been doing this a lot recently, she thought sadly, watching the patterns her tears made on her hands and on her kimono.

_I hate this, I hate all of it_, she screwed her hands up against her face, _Why won't someone make it stop?_

Kyoko gasped, as she felt soft, slender arms gently embracing her from behind. It was a feeling she couldn't remember ever experiencing before, even with her brother or Shinobu. A feeling of absolute love and protection.

Kyoko turned slowly as the other person's grip relaxed, her tears forgotten.

Her breath was stolen as she saw the other person's face.

A beautiful woman, in her early twenties at the most, was looking at her softly with crystal blue eyes set in porcelain face surrounded gently waves of raven hair that spilled down over her shoulders and down to her lower back.

Her generous lips curved in a kind, wonderful smile that reminded her of someone, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen that smile before.

The beautiful woman reached out with the sleeve of her plain white kimono, using it to wipe away the remainder of Kyoko's tears. The material set off alarm bells in Kyoko's mind, warning her that this was something very expensive being used for such a mundane purpose.

She raised her hand, trying to wave away the older woman's attentions.

"Shhh, little one", the raven haired beauty hushed her, pressing a slender finger to her lips and continuing her ministrations, "Everything will be alright now".

Kyoko nodded dumbly as her face was cleaned and the other woman sat back on her hunches, regarding her with something akin to fond amusement.

"Why do I know you?", Kyoko asked, finally unable to resist the question that had been bubbling in the back of her mind since she had lain eyes on this woman.

The woman chuckled behind her sleeve as if Kyoko had told an amusing joke and Kyoko glared at her indignantly, her patience gone after everything that had happened to her recently.

"I didn't think I said anything amusing", she said, grinding her teeth when this just seemed to make the other woman laugh louder.

"I'm sorry little one", she said eventually, "But you have his temper".

"Whose?", Kyoko asked confused by the strange woman's cryptic response.

"Kenichi", she answered, her voice wistful and full of something else…longing?

"Father? How do you know Father?", Kyoko asked suspiciously.

The older woman looked at her sadly for a moment, "Kyoko…my poor little Kyoko-chan".

Kyoko shrank back as she lifted her hand to stroke her cheek, "How do you know me?".

"Oh my, how rude of me", the older woman chuckled tapping herself on the head lightly and looking Kyoko directly in the eye, "My name is Ishizu. Ishizu Sagura".

She watched with open concern as Kyoko dropped back on her rear, starring at her with a mix of fear, disbelief and hate.

"What's wrong Kyoko-chan?"

"You're her", she whispered through teeth clenched so tight she thought they would crack. Now that she knew why this woman seemed so familiar, she could see the resemblance people had complimented her on her entire life, the cheekbones, the face shape, the hair. All of it the same yet subtly different, older, more mature.

"You…", she stood, fists clenched at her side, "You, I hate you".

"Kyoko-chan?", she asked her daughter, looking so innocent and hurt that Kyoko almost apologised then and there, but she held her tongue.

"You ruined my life", she almost shouted, "Do you know what it's like to spend your whole life trying to fill the void left in the ones you love's lives? To be told how much you remind them of that person, to be moulded and judged against their perfect memory day in and day out. Bringing them back to life while you die a little more inside everyday?".

Ishizu regarded her daughter calmly, seemingly unfazed by her tirade, "No, no I don't know Kyoko-chan".

Kyoko's rage spiked. How dare she sound so calm, so understanding.

Ishizu stood gracefully moving toward Kyoko with open arms and a sad smile on her face.

"W-what are you doing?"

The older woman ignored her, crossing the distance between them slowly.

"S-stop it, get away from me, I hate you!"

Ishizu ignored her daughter's protests, wrapping her small arms around her and holding her tight as she tried to break free.

"Stop it! Stop it", Kyoko said, her shouts muffled as her struggles became weaker and weaker, "Why are you here…".

"Shhh", Ishizu said, stroking her hair and rocking her, "It's ok my baby, I'm here now".

Kyoko gave up her struggles, crying into her mother's chest while she comforted her daughter for the first time in the girl's life.

"You've had a tough life…harder than I ever wanted for you, both you and your brother…I wish I could have been there for both of you"

"Then why weren't you?", came Kyoko's quiet question and Ishizu smiled down at the top of her daughter's head.

"I don't know little one"

Eventually Kyoko's new tears subsided and she pushed herself away from her mother, "Are we dead?".

"No", Ishizu shook her head, "you and your brother are very much alive, he's too stubborn to die and so are you".

"…But, if you are and we aren't…then how?"

Ishizu drew her daughter into another hug, "What kind of mother would stand by when her children were in danger?".

"Why?"

Ishizu looked down at her quizzically, "Why what Kyoko-chan?".

"Why did you save me?", she asked looking up at her mother with vacant eyes.

"Kyoko-chan!"

"Answer me! Why, what was the point, Father is dead, Koichi is leaving for good as soon as he gets married and…and…", she sighed and looked away from her mother, "and the only other person I love doesn't love me in return…".

Ishizu cupped her daughter's chin, raising her eyes to meet her own, "You mean that young blue haired girl?".

Kyoko felt her face light up as she tried to stutter a denial, but she was interrupted by her mother's sparkling laughter.

"I don't…how did you…"

"Know?", Kyoko nodded mutely, "My dear little girl, how could I not? I've been watching you and your brother for a long time, how could I not notice the person who made my little girl so happy?"

"So…your not ashamed to have a daughter who's…strange"

Ishizu wrapped her daughter lightly on the head, "As long as you are happy, so am I Kyoko-chan".

"Thank you", Kyoko muttered, still embarrassed but happy in spite of herself. At least she knew part of her family approved.

Ishizu watched as her daughter's face fell again, "What's wrong little one?".

"Nothing", Kyoko said putting on the mask she had used most her life, "I'm fine".

"Now, now, none of that", she chided her, "You were thinking about what Shinobu-chan said to you earlier today".

Kyoko stared at her open mouthed, prompting another round of laughter from her mother.

"Have you been spying on my every waking movement?"

"Of course not Kyoko-chan…just the good bits"

"Mother!"

Ishizu chuckled happily, clapping her hands together, "Ok, I'm sorry Kyoko-chan. How about I give you a gift?".

"A gift?", Kyoko asked dubiously as her mother lifted her hand to her face.

Ishizu nodded reassuringly and kissed the little finger of Kyoko's left hand, What are you doing?"

"Breaking the rules", Ishizu answered, a twinkle in her eye unsettlingly reminiscent of the one that would sometimes enter Koichi's.

Kyoko watched confused as a red tinged cord flashed into existence for a second before vanishing.

"I don't-", she doubled over as a wave of sadness and loss hit her, leaving her vision blurred for a moment.

"W-what, what was…", Ishizu shushed her.

"Just wait".

"Wait for what?", her answer came in another wave of emotion, this time concern, and a level of panic bordering on hysterical. Kyoko struggled as these emotions threatened to wipe out her own mind, wondering if her mother was trying to kill her.

Another wave rushed in and Kyoko braced herself, but this wasn't like the others. This one didn't so much as hit, but settle over her, leaving her feeling oddly warm inside.

She could only stand awed as the feeling washed over her and was gone, leaving something behind in it's wake, the image of a blue haired girl being held up…or was that held back by an older woman with sandy brown hair as tears streamed down her pretty face.

Suddenly it was gone, leaving her with only one thing…the faint scent of lavender.

"I….what was that?", she asked, taking deep steadying breaths.

"That was a little taste of what Shinobu-chan is thinking about you right now", Ishizu said, helping to steady her daughter until she could stand alone again.

Shinobu…, the memory of that final feeling tickled her mind and Kyoko smiled until something else her mother had said occurred to her.

"Right now?…You mean the fight is still going on!"

"That's right little one, like I said, you are not dead, you're just here until I can finish explaining how you need to help your brother defeat that creature"

"Me", Kyoko asked raising an eyebrow, "I don't even know what that thing is outside of what I read…does that mean it's true? Everything that Father said?".

Ishizu looked uncomfortably at her daughter before sighing heavily, "What the hell, I'm in trouble anyway. Kenichi had it right as far as the records show, but that doesn't mean he got everything right. Takumi did make a deal and betray the Oni, that much is true, but the Sagura Clan didn't seal him out of a sense of duty, they did it because our family held close ties to the Aoyama line, a closeness that turned to enmity as the tale changed hands and generations. It was the start of the Clans split, simple misunderstanding caused by word of mouth"

"…Then what did he mean about loosing people because of the Aoyama's".

"He was talking about your brother", Ishizu said softly, "Kenichi retreated into himself a lot after I died, he sealed himself off to prevent ever having to feel what it was like to loose someone he cared for again. But he didn't manage it, that's why he was always so hard on a free spirit like your brother. He was afraid of loosing the both of you".

Kyoko silently digested this information, trying to fit it into what she knew of her father.

"Don't worry,", Ishizu assured her, "you'll understand one day".

The world around them seemed to quiver for an instant and Ishizu looked around irritably.

"Almost out of time", Ishizu sighed, "Listen closely little one, remember what I showed you, hold it in mind when I send you back and whatever you do, don't let go of your brother, he'll know what to do. Promise me".

"I promise", Kyoko said, caught up in the conviction in her mother's eyes.

Ishizu smiled at her before stooping down next to Koichi and running a hand through his messy hair.

"I'm sorry my beautiful boy, but I was only allowed one, and your sister needed me more", Koichi groaned in his sleep as if he had heard her and Ishizu smiled fondly standing back from them as the world shook again.

"Goodbye, my children"

For the second time that day, Kyoko's world disappeared.

* * *

Motoko's sword fell from numb fingers as Yazuroph smirked at the fading ball of white light which stood where Koichi and Kyoko had been moments earlier.

"**All too easy mortal**", he said, turning to face his real prey as the remains of the light continued to fade, "**Now, for y-**"

The Demon's head snapped around, almost rotating an impossible one hundred and eighty degrees before his body caught up, "**Not possible**"

The residents of the Hinata Sou gave an almost simultaneous cheer as the reason for Yazuroph's disbelief became apparent to the rest of them.

Standing as if nothing had ever happened, the _Sword of two Souls_ held in front of him and his sister who still clung to his waist, were Koichi and Kyoko.

Koichi slowly peeled one eye open, looking around cautiously, obviously surprised to find things as he had left them.

"Wow, heaven is a lot less boring than I pictured", he said, drawing a smile from a very relieved Motoko.

"Kyoko?", he said looking down at his new belt as he tried to move forward only to find himself pinned in place. His memory of the last few seconds was a little fuzzy, but he did briefly remember Kyoko latching onto him before everything went white.

"Kyoko let go", he ordered her as he saw Yazuroph recovering from his initial shock, glancing back and forth between him and the now re-armed Motoko, his gaze lethal.

The younger girl shook her head fiercely.

"Kyoko, I don't know what's wrong, but I need you to let me go, right now, ok?", she shook her head again looking up at him with such intense determination that his protests faltered before they could be spoken.

"She told me to hang on to you, that you'd know what to do with them"

"With what?", he asked as she suddenly thrust her hand up to his eye level. Koichi blinked as he saw the yellow cord he sometimes saw between him and Motoko, linking Shinobu and his sister by the little finger of their left hands. A quick glance showed the same thing linking him and Motoko via the_ Sword of Two Souls_, and as he watched, both sets began to discolour, fading to a murky red colour.

"She said you'd know what to do", Kyoko repeated quietly.

Koichi turned his attention back to Kyoko and her cord, not understanding what he was doing even as he began to reach out with his mind through the blade, grasping this new cord and linking it to the sword.

Instantly he felt two new Ki sources surge into his awareness, pouring through him in a soul-searing torrent and lighting up the _Sword of Two Souls_ like a blazing beacon of spiritual power, weaving around and through the blade in a pattern he had never used, or even heard of, but creating as easily as he had any other, as if he were being guided.

Kyoko looked at the growing light and smiled encouragingly, "She said you'd know what to do if I stayed here and thought about her".

Koichi didn't understand what his sister was talking about, his mind was far to occupied trying to wrestle this enormous power under his control as he shaped it into…something.

"**Mortal, what have you done? Where did you get this strength?**", there was a note of what in another creature might have been called fear, in Yazuroph's voice but this too went unnoticed by Koichi as he felt something inside click, and everything went silent for him as he gazed at his opponent with the sea grey eyes of a demi-god.

"**_Special Arts_**", Koichi intoned, his voice booming in the sudden quiet, carrying clearly to everyone present as his sword began to rise, Kyoko moving around behind him to avoid obstructing him, but not releasing him.

"**_Lost Technique_**"

"**I don't fear you mortal, only the Aoyama line has the strength to challenge me**", his voice didn't sound so sure as he set his feet, clearly planning to tackle this new power head on as he had with the _Steel Cutting Rose_.

The light from the sword was so bright that all but Koichi and Yazuroph were forced to shield their eyes.

"**_Sword of Two Souls: Enishi Blade_!**"

Koichi's arms swung down with a mighty war cry, the air screaming as it was rent by energies not meant for the mortal realm. A column of solid power, not the mist usually associated with Ki attacks but a solid bar, thicker than Koichi was tall, rocketed forth as the blade cleaved into the earth, blasting a scar deep into the ground as it blazed toward its target, buffeting winds dropping even the observers in the distance to their knees as anything even partially loose was thrown clear of the area if it was fortunate enough not to be caught in the beam's slipstream and annihilated by the pure white light of unbridled destruction.

"**I cannot be defeated by a mere mortal!**", Yazuroph bellowed defiantly into the raging wave of death just before it struck.

It was the last thing he said before it atomised his very being, and the creature known as Yazuroph ceased to exist.

* * *

Koichi awoke with a strangled scream. Every nerve ending was on fire, as if he had spent days fighting a much stronger opponent rather than minutes.

The _Sword of Two Souls_ had slipped from his grasp and lay next to him, smoking lightly, its finish now visibly dull and blunt, as if it no longer had a purpose in existing.

He turned his attention away from the sword and the pain, realising that his head at least was pillowed on something soft and comforting.

He looked up and found Motoko smiling down at him from above, his head rested in her lap.

"Hi honey, I'm home", he croaked out, managing about twenty percent of his usual grin.

"Baka", she said, brushing away some of his hair, "…What was that".

"I have no idea", he answered honestly, "Did I get him?"

Motoko chuckled, looking over at the missing wing of the Sagura temple, and the mile long crater that cut across where it and a large section of forest used to be, "Yes, you did well as always…even if it was a fluke".

"Pure talent", he argued weakly as she helped him stand, causing a whole new set of pains to shoot up and down his body.

He surveyed the wreckage and winced, "Wow, Aunt Minaho is going to kill me, I think her flower garden was around there somewhere".

Motoko could only shake her head at the way her fiancé's mind worked as she helped him limp over to the where Kitsune was helping Shinobu up.

Kyoko reached there ahead of them, hovering a few steps away, her hand clutching her other arm in a visible display of nervousness.

Shinobu seemed to freeze as if she sensed the other girl's presence before her head snapped up, eyes locked on Kyoko.

There was a strange pause as everyone regarded the two girls, wondering at what was passing between them.

The moment was broken as Shinobu's eyes began to water and she threw herself from Kitsune's grasp, almost tackling Kyoko, tiny fists hammering the other girl's shoulders as she buried her face in against her.

"Baka, baka, baka, baka", she shouted over and over again, leaving the others as stunned as Kyoko as she continued to cry while proceeding with her assault, "Kyoko no baka!".

The second shock for the group arrived when Kyoko folded her arms around the sobbing girl and began making soft shushing noises, stroking her hair until her attack if not her sobbing stopped.

"Kyoko-chan…", Shinobu hic-ed.

"It's ok Shinobu-chan", the other girl murmured, lifting her chin with one hand so she could look at her, "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going to leave you".

The group then experienced its third and most prominent shock.

Slowly, tenderly, Kyoko leaned forward, her lips pressing against the other girl's, silencing them both. For a moment nothing happened, Shinobu stood stock-still. Gradually her arms snaked tighter around her friend and her eyes closed, giving unspoken consent for Kyoko to continue.

The moment was shattered seconds later by Koichi's stunned voice.

"No way", he woofed as the air was forced from his lungs by an especially painful elbow to the gut.

Shinobu and Kyoko broke apart, both blushing as they remembered they had an audience. Su was cheering, Kitsune was shaking her head and laughing, Kentaro was staring and Motoko and Koichi seemed to be having some sort of argument while the latter rubbed his tender solar plexus.

"Kyoko-chan", Shinobu looked sideways at her friend as she felt the other girl take her hand reassuringly.

"It's ok Shinobu-chan", the other girl said, her voice as calm and regal as always, but carrying an undertone of affection that made the blue haired girl blush anew, "Like I told you before, just because we don't think we can have something, doesn't mean we stop wanting it".

"What made you so sure…", she trailed off, unable to complete the question in public.

"I'll tell you later", Kyoko whispered in her ear, causing pleasant shivers to run up and down her spine.

The new couple watched as their friends began to pick their way across the rubble, hands held tight. The day was far from over, no, things were just beginning.

* * *

That night a small ceremony was held for the late master of the Oni's Bane school, with a revealing speech delivered by the deceased's daughter, detailing a great man's descent into loneliness, heartbreak and ultimately, madness.

Koichi left after the speech, followed by Motoko, and returned after everyone else had gone, offering the hastily prepared grave a solemn bow, a parting sign of a respect, and a vow to look after both his school and his family.

Unbeknownst to him, two ethereal figures observed his actions, the taller and broader of the two holding the smaller tightly, an unmarked tear falling down his stoic features.

The wind blew, tousling the young master's hair and the spectres were gone.

Koichi Sagura left the grave, and the past behind, eyes turned forward to the future he and his family would forge, together.

* * *

---Author Notes---

Well just the epilogue and we have come to the end of another instalment of Blademasters, final notes will contain more information.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	14. Epilogue: The Guests

Epilogue: The Guests

**_Six months later…_**

Haitani yawned widely, light brown bangs tickling his face as his head went back with the motion. Greeting guests was an important role if not always an interesting one.

Briefly he wondered why he always seemed to end up doing these small, sidekick-esk jobs for his friends. Then again when the friends in question carried swords around casually it was usually wise to listen to their requests.

He stole a glance at the girl standing between him and his best and oldest friend Shirai.

Mutsumi Otohime. The beautiful, if sometimes ditzy, Tokyo U student form Okinawa, also the only girl who didn't seem to mind hanging out with them.

Personally Haitani thought that proved she really was the closet genius her peers described her as being.

Keitaro's oldest friend the college student thought his companion had been mad to pass her up, but then again he'd had a pretty wide choice the lucky devil.

She looked over at him and smiled, "The Guests".

"Hmm?", he followed the line of her finger to where a small line had formed in front of him, "Er, yeah, I knew that".

She giggled a little and turned back to her own duties, admitting a stunningly dressed Kitsune and dapper as always Kentaro. So many new couples springing up in the past few months. Haitani was beginning to wonder if he and Shirai had missed a memo.

Perhaps if I work on Mutsumi a little more, he thought, plastering on his best smile and turning to the first two in line.

His grin widened as he caught sight of the bob of blue hair just below his eye level, moderating his gaze down at the pretty young girl it belonged to and her dark haired companion.

The girl just got cuter every time you saw her.

Ah to be young again…and in her class, he thought, unaware of the slightly creepy edge his smile had taken on until she began to step back uncertainly.

"Hey there cutie", he said, in his own mind, winningly.

Shinobu smiled politely while the girl next to her gave him a look that dropped his body temperature several degrees.

What's her problem, he wondered, scanning her over. Short dark hair, sea grey eyes, a pretty face and a bearing that bespoke of a noble birth she was almost as cute as her friend, if only she would smile.

His eyes continued down until they lighted on the pair's clasped hands and he looked back up wonderingly, noticing a faint colouring on Shinobu's face as she pretended to be thoroughly interested in a nearby flower arrangement.

"Ara, hello you two", Mutsumi's cheerful voice cut off his building question, "My, don't you two look cute together as always".

Shinobu blushed and the other girl coloured slightly.

"Thank you Mutsumi-san", the dark haired one answered, pulling Shinobu a little closer and casting another disapproving glance at Haitani.

The older girl laughed again, "Don't worry Kyoko-chan, Hai-kun isn't going to try and steal your girlfriend".

Haitani's eyebrows went up, but he was more interested in his new nickname than what he had just learned about the two girls in front of him, much to his own surprise.

That isn't to say it wasn't stored away in his mental ecchi file for later, it just wasn't a priority.

The dark haired one took that opportunity to pull Shinobu passed him while he was distracted, collecting one of the guest gifts on their way by.

"What was that about?", Shinobu asked when they reached the reception area, checking over her sky blue single strap gown.

"Just another pervert", Kyoko said shaking her head, "Sometimes I honestly think that the only decent men in the world are my brother and Urashima-san".

"I was talking about you", Shinobu said poking her in the ribs gently, "I thought you were going to squeeze my hand in two".

"I have no idea what you mean", Kyoko said not quite looking at the other girl.

"Possessive", Shinobu poked her again, giggling as Kyoko tried to look indignant at her childish behaviour and failing miserably.

"Speaking of possessive", Kyoko said with a small grin, looking at something over Shinobu's shoulder.

Shinobu looked around, spotting a familiar brown haired girl walking toward them, her eyes scanning around the crowd as if looking for someone else. It was pretty easy to guess who.

"Hey you two", the older woman said, "Have you seen that loser around here anywhere?"

"We've only just arrived", Shinobu said shaking her head.

Naru's eyes narrowed as she cracked her knuckles unconsciously, eyes already scanning the crowd again.

"You can't hide forever Keitaro", she promised darkly, walking away from the two slightly scared younger women.

Kyoko and Shinobu looked at each other as she left and smiled sympathetically for the dorm manager when his fiancé caught up to him.

As the other guests began to bustle, moving toward the wedding hall, Kyoko and Shinobu linked hands again and followed suit.

Up ahead Koichi and Motoko were about to be jointed together, forever.

* * *

---Author Notes---

For those of you who haven't figured out the program yet, each installation of Blademasters ends with a small part of the wedding scene, the final scene will come at the end of my next ficlet: Love Hina: Boy's night out.

Unfortunately no Tama in this, sorry bout that, and Mutsumi didn't get as much screen time as I wanted either, but oh well.

Well my friends it's that time again when I have to say goodbye to you all for a while, but I'll be back.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


End file.
